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)…
Faure Essozimna Gnassingbé, the president of Togo has responded positively to the publication of the West Africa Commission on Drugs. Noting that West Africa was no longer merely a transit zone for drugs from Latin America en route to European markets, but also a buoyant drug market, he reiterated that those involved in distribution had…
The Uruguay government is proceeding a radical attempt to tackle organized crime. It has legalized the cultivation and trade of cannabis, removing the most attractive, profitable and risk free opportunities from the control of criminal groups. In order to regulate production, cannabis cultivators will have to apply for a plot to farm the plant in…
The Maritime Analysis and Operations Centre – Narcotics (MAOC-N) has been tracking an organised crime group that owns a number of ships that have been linked to the transport of narcotics. The operation began with the seizure of 15 tons of cannabis on the ‘Adam’ by Italian customs in April 2013. The crew of six…
The global movement for drug policy reform continues to gather momentum in both West Africa and the Caribbean. On 2 June 2014, the Jamaican cabinet amended the Dangerous Drugs Act, making the possession of small quantities of ganja (cannabis) for personal use a ticketable infraction with only a financial penalty. Infractions will be dealt with…
Peru has rarely been vocal on the drug policy debate. Yet the countries approach to cocaine production and trafficking may be softening. Following his election in 2011, president Ollanta Humala announced intentions to reconsider antinarcotics policy – even decriminalising coca farmers, low level cocaine processors and smugglers. Since then though, the focus has continued to…
