- The Honourable Speaker of National Assembly
- My Lord Chief Justice
- Honourable Minister of Interior
- Secretary General and Head of Civil Service
- Service Chiefs
- Members of the Diplomatic and Consular Corp
- Lord Majors of Banjul and KMC
- Governor West Coast Region
- Heads of Government Departments and Institutions
- Members of DLEAG Board of Governors
- Staff of DLEAG here present
- Members of the Media, and all other protocols respectfully and duly observed
Good Morning
I am deeply delighted and grateful to Allah the almighty to witness another drug destruction exercise as the Director General of DLEAG. Let me begin by expressing DLEAG management’s warmest appreciation and gratitude to the dignitaries present here and to all others who take their valuable time to join us in this occasion. Annual drug destruction is a key activity in DLEAG’s calendar, as it is meant to publicly destroy drugs seized following successful prosecution in the narcotic courts. We take this as an opportunity to hold ourselves accountable to the general public, that the drugs seized are not recycled in the market but destroyed.
Drug Law Enforcement Agency, The Gambia (DLEAG) as you may know is the youngest law enforcement agency in the country. The Agency was established by an Act of the National Assembly in 2003 and charged with the responsibility of enforcing all drug laws and regulations in the Gambia as well as to collaborate with partners locally and internationally in the spirit of fighting illicit drug trafficking and abuse, money Laundry, terrorism and other forms of organize crime.
I must admit and categorically state that the fight against drugs is both complex and challenging. However as complex and challenging as it might be, it remains a war worth fighting. Therefore, we would like to loudly express our determination to strengthen actions and cooperation to achieve the goal of an international society free of drug trafficking and abuse.
West Africa is a key transit point in the global narcotic trade resulting in a growing local market. Cannabis remains the most commonly abused drug in the Gambia. Cocaine and heroin are seemly new phenomenon but with greater harmful consequences to our youth. There are signs of the presence of Methamphetamine, a drug manufactured in clandestine laboratories but of a more deadly consequence.
In the first quarter of 2017, the Agency has registered a record seizure of large quantity of various types of drugs;
- 503kg 266g 385mg of Cannabis,
- 495g 161mg of Hashish
- 50g 909mg of Cocaine
- 24 tablets of Diazepam
- 57 tablets of Bromazepam and
- 10 tablets of Lormetazepam
The drug problem around the world signals similar (if not) the same impact. Despite continued and increased efforts by the international community, the world drug problem continues to constitute a serious threat to public health, the safety and well-being of humanity, in particular young people, and the national security and sovereignty of States. It also undermines socio-economic and political stability and sustainable development.
For the past three decades, Africa is synonymous to violent conflicts, civil unrest, poverty, unemployment and diseases. These factors aided drug dealers to always capitalize on the situations to violate the potentials of African youth by introducing them into the drug trade. Teenage Africans are often recruited as curriers in exchange of high pay and consequently they fall victims of the business. Drug barons also use conflict zones to stabilize their business as law enforcement mechanisms are very weak during times of instability.
The impact of illicit drug abuse and trafficking manifest itself in many ways, some of which may not be visible due to the clandestine manner in which illicit drugs find its way into society and the stigma associated with drug use. It is therefore not always a straight forward task to articulate the full extent and nature of the harm course by illicit drugs. It is however safe to state that the impact on the Gambia and the world substantially requires the combine efforts of all law enforcement agencies, Government Institutions, Civil Society, Media and the General Public to meet the numerous challenges of drugs that threatens all layers of society.
The harmful use of illicit drugs exposes non-users to injury and death. This is as a result of people driving under the influence of drugs and consequently being victims of violent crime. Socially, the families of addicts are placed under significant financial pressures due to the costs associated with theft from the family, legal fees for users and the high costs of treatment. The emotional and psychological impacts on families and the high levels of crime and other social ills have left many communities under siege by the scale of drug abuse.
I would therefore like to call on every person resident in this country to rally behind us in this noble campaign. One does not have to be a narcotic officer to report drug dealers. Let everybody be a narcotic officer or a police officer. By that, no crime will go undetected in our communities. If you do not report drug dealers to us, do not be surprise to be a victim of drug abuse either directly or indirectly.
As part of our institutional reform strategy, the Agency is currently developing the first ever five year National Drug Control Strategy. An overhaul of the Drug Control Act to align it to international standards and best practices is also in progress.
We are about to witness the destruction of 1ton 940kg 500g of Cannabis Sativa. This is in no way suggesting that cannabis is the only type of drug seized, rather it is cases that involve cannabis that are so far successfully determined by the Narcotic Courts and ordered for destruction.
Please permit me to say that we did not register these successes alone and therefore would like to register our gratitude to all the Security Chiefs particularly the Inspector General of Police and his management for availing PIU Officers to the Agency to serve as backup support in our operations. We equally commend the Chief of Defense Staff and Director General SIS for their personal supports and that of their staff. Special thanks goes to Financial Intelligence Unit (FIU) for their investigative support.
Management and staff of the Agency have also asked me to register our sincere appreciations to the Judiciary and the Attorney General’s Chambers for the wonderful assistance they have always accorded us.
I would like to also extend thanks to the Department of Weights and Measures and the Management of Central Medical Laboratory for their continued support in our drug weighment and analysis processes both of which are crucial in our drive to effectively prosecute drug offenders.
Let me also thank foreign missions in the Gambia for the excellent collaborations particularly the Turkish Embassy and the Embassy of the United States of America in the area of capacity building.
We are also grateful to the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) for the establishment of the Joint Airport Interdiction Task Force under the framework of the AIRCOP Project at the Banjul International Airport. We also appreciate the support of UN Resident Coordinator and by extension the entire UN family.
I would not do justice to this august gathering without thanking the staff of the Agency for their hard work and professionalism. Special commendation goes to West Coast Region, under the stewardship our able Narcotic Control Commissioner Mawloud Faal.
Finally, I would like to thank my senior management team for their cooperation and continuous support in ensuring that the Agency drives on track.
Special thanks goes to GRTS and the entire media fraternity for their continues support and partnership in this noble crusade.
In conclusion, I urge each and every one of us to be vigilant so that collectively, we can wipe out drugs in the face of this country for once and for posterity.
I thank you all for you kind attention
