From 18 to 22 September CRIMJUST took part at the 27th Meeting of Heads of National Drug Law Enforcement Agencies, Africa (HONLEAF) to discuss strategies to enhance capacities of law enforcement agencies to counter transnational organized crime and to promote international cooperation of law enforcement agencies
As part of the UNODC delegation, CRIMJUST participated at the meeting in Egypt and underlined that the Law Enforcement Agencies are key stakeholders at the investigative side concerning drug trafficking and organized crime (OC). The high sophistication and creativity of OC call for an adaption of Law Enforcement Agencies to enhance related responses to ensure the disruption of drug flows.
North America, and Western and Central Europe continue to be the main consumer markets for cocaine in the world, and its supply originates in South America. The emergence of new routes into Europe have led to the involvement of West African countries, which organized crime groups use as transit points.
In this context Nigeria has been seizing over 100 kilograms of cocaine every year since 2003, whereas Ghana seized a total of 1.3 tons between 2013 and 2014. These developments once more stress the importance for the active involvement of CRIMJUST in West Africa and the need for constantly sthrenthen capacity through training on investigation and prosecution of organized crime and cocaine trafficking on the international level.
