Nigeria is one of the key countries for the implementation of AIRCOP. The programme brings together the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA), immigration, customs, and the State Security Service (SSS) into a Joint Airport Interdiction Task Force (JAITF). The only agency missing is the police. The other agencies involved have been working together to…
On the back of the West African Commission on Drugs (WACD) report, which acknowledges that West Africa experiences drug use as well as the transit of drugs, debates on treatment and demand reduction have gained renewed urgency. This focus is not new – the Centre for Research and Information on Substance Abuse (CRISA) has been…
•California Assembly votes to reduce penalties for the sale of crack cocaine •South African cabinet minister under investigation for alleged involvement with cocaine-smuggling syndicate •Argentine Supreme Court Judge announces national rise in drug-trafficking operations •An international drug-smuggling and money-laundering ring was dismantled in the Dominican Republic •A 78-year old US doctor was found guilty of…
• A leading French narcotics officer was charged in connection with the disappearance of captured cocaine from the French police HQ • 127kgs of cocaine were seized aboard a Spanish navy vessel returning from Colombia • The European Commission announced additional funding for the AIRCOP initiative • The former Haitian president was banned from leaving…
• The New York Times started debate on the end of marijuana prohibition. • A French counternarcotics officer was arrested near the Spanish border after 51kgs of cocaine “disappeared” from Paris HQ • UK Border Force discovers 40kgs of cocaine aboard container vessel used to transport bananas • The US courier firm FedEx pleaded not…
Kentucky senator proposes tougher US cocaine-sentencing laws UK government survey shows significant increase in domestic drug use over 10-year period •A Puerto Rico-based cocaine trafficking ring faced drug charges in the US • Bulgaria’s State Agency for National Security announced the dismantlement of a major heroin-trafficking group • In Los Angeles, a smuggler was sentenced…
Following elections in April and May this year, there are expectations that Guinea Bissau may shift away from its reputation as a narco state. The new president, Jose Mario Vaz, is a former finance minister with a reputation for tough economic reforms. The elections have been viewed as an entry point for renewed engagement by…
• The Prominent Colombian drug lord Hernán Alonso “El Ratón” Villa was arrested in Spain following a joint Colombian-Spanish operation •The US courier firm FedEx faced with fifteen counts of drug-trafficking following an indictment by the California federal grand jury • The reputed head of a drug-trafficking ring was arrested in the UAE • A…
Today the EU has adopted an action programme that will provide up to €750 million during the period 2014-2016 to support peace and security in Africa. The new funding had been announced by the President of the European Commission, José Manuel Barroso, at the Africa- EU summit in April and will be channelled through the African Peace Facility…
Many groups engage in illicit activities to fund their activities. In many civil wars, illicit trafficking has been essential to get food, fuel and other supplies to civilians and provide arms to combatants. The wars in Liberia and Sierra Leone were rife with diamond and timber smuggling, and the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Columbia (FARC)…
