Miners at the gold mining operations of the Wagner Group use this drug to endure long working shifts, while militants take it during combat to suppress fear. ## ## The Wagner Group Established a System of Criminalized Governance in the CAR The group earns about $180 million (157 million euros) annually from the illegal export of gold in the region. Drug trafficking allows financial flows to be directed towards the development of operations in gold, timber, and arms trading. A report by the "Global Initiative Against Transnational Organized Crime" from June 2026 notes that militants associated with the "Wagner Group" and allied structures have infiltrated key government ministries, security forces, and customs administration in the CAR. The system of criminalized governance, coercion, regulation, and resource extraction represents processes within a unified structure linked to the presidential administration. ## ## Prices for Tramadol Have Tripled Meanwhile, the government-supported fuel monopoly generates illegal profits ranging from $17.5 million to $30 million (15.3 million to 26 million euros) annually. Additionally, there are manipulations with gold through exporters linked to the UAE and using military transport aircraft registered in the CAR. The country has effectively turned into a logistics hub for Wagner Group operations in other parts of the continent. At the same time, prices for tramadol have tripled amid high demand. The market is controlled by high-ranking officials in the security forces, the publication notes. After the death of Yevgeny Prigozhin in 2023, Russia attempted to replace the Wagner private military company in the Central African Republic with the Ministry of Defense-controlled "African Corps." However, for this, at Moscow's request, the CAR was supposed to "not only cover the expenses for the personnel of the African Corps but also pay Russia significant sums," amounting to millions of euros, noted a source from AFP.