In Ivory Coast's biggest city Abidjan, vulnerable drug addicts say that discovering a secluded care and support centre in an upscale part of the city has helped them to turn around their lives.

In recent years, the coastal west African nation has become a pivotal transit hub for the global heroin and cocaine trade, as well as prescription drug misuse.

While official data on illicit drug use is limited, an addiction specialist at the centre, Feriole Zahoui, told AFP there are between 30,000 and 40,000 drug users in Abidjan -- three to four times more than a decade ago.

Behind a discreet entrance, the Addiction Care and Support Centre (CASA) has caught on through word of mouth, offering free social, medical and psychological support for addiction recovery.

CASA estimates it has supported

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