Of late, the issue of drugs entering into the country has become very common as officers of the Drug Law Enforcement Agency of the Gambia keep intercepting shipments of illicit drugs every now and then. On Tuesday, this paper reported what it referred to as “the largest single seizures of ecstasy tablets effected at an airport in the sub-region”.
To say that this situation is worrisome is an understatement. The Gambia cannot – must not – become the hub of drugs in the sub-region and the government must do everything humanly possible to ensure that this does not continue. This situation can damage the reputation of the country to such an extent that it will affect the economy and the overall development of the country.
Admittedly, the Drug Law Enforcement Agency of the Gambia (DLEAG) is doing well in ensuring that they intercept and arrest individuals who transports drugs into the country, and more must be to done to ensure that the people who are bent on turning the country into a transit for drug traffickers are stopped before it is too late.
A comprehensive study of the reasons that make people believe that they can transport any amount of drugs through the Gambian airport must be conducted and the findings would then be used to fight against this menace. A strategy based on empirical research must be developed and fully implemented without any bias. This is what will put a stop to the problem.
An inter-agency committee, if it does not already exist, should be set up comprising the police, immigration department, customs, State Intelligence Services, and agents of the judiciary to thoroughly look into the problem and come up with ways to solve it. The government must display the zeal and political will to stop the country from becoming the drug hub of the sub-region.
Naturally, this will not be easy but with resolve and determination, it can surely be achieved. If necessary, the National Assembly may even enact more stringent laws to support the fight against drugs. When a country is gripped by the menace of illicit drugs it turns into a narco-state where no one is safe. Because of the huge sums of money involved, it becomes easy for the drug barons to spread the web of corruption to such an extent that in extreme cases they capture the state itself. While we are no where near that worst case scenario, we should remain vigilant.
Well done to the officers of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency for the major bust of ecstasy tablets at the Banjul International Airport over the weekend.