Pavel Prigozhin, the son of late Wagner Group founder Yevgeny Prigozhin, has been accused in a new investigation of leading about 500 former Wagner mercenaries who have built an illicit network centred on gold mining and tramadol trafficking in the Central African Republic after breaking away from Russia’s state-controlled Africa Corps.

The investigation, published by The Wall Street Journal, alleges that the group has transformed its remaining foothold in the Central African Republic into an independent operation that finances itself through illegal gold exports and the distribution of high-dose tramadol, an opioid painkiller widely abused in parts of Africa as a stimulant and commonly referred to as the “poor man’s cocaine”.

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According to the report, the network emerged after Yevgeny Prigozhin’s death in a plane crash in August 2023.

While much of Wagner’s overseas infrastructure was absorbed into Russia’s Ministry of Defence through the Africa Corps, several hundred loyalists reportedly remained in the Central African Republic under Pavel Prigozhin’s leadership instead of joining the new structure.

Investigators allege that the group retains control of mining operations around the Ndassima gold mine and continues to profit from illicit gold exports.

The Geneva based Global Initiative Against Transnational Organized Crime estimates those exports generate about 180 million dollars annually, while tramadol trafficking has become an additional source of revenue used to sustain the organisation’s operations and purchase weapons.

The report further alleges that high-dose tramadol enters the Central African Republic through neighbouring Democratic Republic of Congo after being shipped from India.

Researchers cited in the investigation say the drug is sold to miners, combatants and other customers before being redistributed across parts of Central and West Africa.

Nathalia Dukhan, a researcher with the Global Initiative Against Transnational Organized Crime, said, “In battlefield contexts, tramadol is being taken in massive doses. Fear vanishes and agitation surges as combatants enter a pharmacological trance.”

The investigation also alleges that former Wagner personnel have expanded their influence beyond mining by embedding themselves within local political and security structures.

A former Wagner associate interviewed by the newspaper claimed the group supplies tramadol to members of the presidential guard and a pro-government youth militia, allegations that have not been independently verified.

The Central African Republic has relied heavily on Russian security support since Wagner fighters first arrived in 2018 to help President Faustin-Archange Touadéra’s government battle rebel groups.

In return, Wagner-linked companies secured mining concessions and commercial interests that became a cornerstone of Russia’s expanding influence across Africa.

Since Wagner’s failed mutiny against the Kremlin in June 2023 and Yevgeny Prigozhin’s death two months later, Moscow has sought to bring the group’s overseas operations under direct state control through the Africa Corps.

The latest allegations suggest that the Central African Republic remains a notable exception, with a resilient faction continuing to operate outside Moscow’s direct command.