NDEA boosts up fight against drug trafficking
22-September-2015
The National Drugs Enforcement Agency has announced that it is intensifying its fight against drug trafficking through what it has called a major anti-drug operation, in the most affected areas and with bad reputation on the islands of Mahé, Praslin and La Digue.
The operation which started yesterday and which is targeting traffickers such as distributers, transporters and pushers operating at community level and directly affecting drugs’ victims, was announced by the Minister for Home Affairs Charles Bastienne during a press conference at his Independence House office yesterday morning. The operation will, however, consist of mobile interventions and will not necessitate permanent police presence in sensible areas like Les Mamelles or Corgat Estate.
Speaking in the presence of National Drugs Enforcement Agency (NDEA) chief officer Niall Scully, Mr Bastienne explained that the objective of the operation is to as much as possible paralyse the local drug distribution system and clean the streets of drugs and drug dealers. He has added that if the present operation does not necessarily target drug users, the latter will be dealt with according to the law. The minister is confident that the operation will benefit families whom he says are most of the time “suffering in silence”, as a result of their members being drugs’ victims.
“The NDEA has recently achieved remarkable results in its effort to fight drug trafficking. It is now important that the fight passes on to a next level,” he said.
But what makes the minister believe the new strategy will now work compared to other similar operations in the past?
Mr Bastienne elaborated that the ongoing one is a joint operation between the police and even the army, whereby officers from the regular police and the Seychelles People’s Defence Forces’ (SPDF) Military Police Unit have been seconded to the NDEA.
Compared to previous NDEA operations supported by the police, Mr Bastienne affirmed that all officers involved will function under NDEA authority, “in one line of command to meet one objective.”
“The NDEA and police are working in close collaboration, in tandem,” he insisted.
The Ministry of Health and the Ministry of Social Services, Community Development and Sports have also been brought on board as drug users caught during the operation will equally be provided with medical or social support. The Home Affairs minister has furthermore acknowledged that those two partners will eventually have to deal with possible health and social consequences resulting from the addicts being deprived their daily doses.
He took the opportunity to announce that government is actually finalising a comprehensive detoxification programme for those addicts.
Minister Bastienne has wished to reassure the population that the current anti-drug drive with police support will not affect the force’s resources and other operations. On the other hand, he believes that it will help to diminish crime and consequently result in less police interventions. The police are at the same time not anticipating a large number of arrests to be made, as though Mr Bastienne considers them as generally “responsible for the misery of the Seychellois people”, those traffickers represent a small number of persons.
The minister seized the occasion to comment that the decentralised policing approach introduced since he took over the interior portfolio earlier this year is bringing success. As examples of this success he stated that instead of up to 150 reported crimes per week then, the figures have dropped to as low as 70 at certain periods. Also, all of the 160 suspects who were wanted on the arrest list and whom the police believe were responsible for the majority of crimes in the community have since been arrested.
Mr Scully has on his side ensured that the operation against dealers on the streets will run parallel to the effort to combat drug importation and supply. Happy that what he counts as 45% of operators have been to date apprehended, he says that the NDEA is continuing to observe suspect “big fish” which the agency continually identifies. In many cases, the NDEA says that they know who those traffickers and their “small dogs” are, but need evidence to bring them before the courts.
It is hoped that the present operation which will go on for three months and will be renewed if necessary, will help catch a large number of them.
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