African Heads Of Drug Agencies Want Specialized Courts To Try Drugs Cases

By Ayodele Oni

The 31st annual meeting of Heads of National Drug Law Enforcement Agencies, Africa (HONLAF) has ended in Abuja with a call on various governments in the continent to establish specialized courts for drugs and other crime related cases in the continent.

In a press release on Saturday by the Director of Media and Advocacy, of the National Drugs Law Enforcement Agency, (NDLEA), Femi Babafemi, HONLAF stated that this was part of recommendations adopted at the end of the weeklong 31st Meeting of HONLAF in Abuja on Friday.

“Governments should consider the establishment of national specialized courts and asset recovery offices dealing with organized crime and money laundering and supporting tracing, recovering and management of proceeds of crime.

“Governments are encouraged to make effective and full use of existing informal regional and international cooperation instruments aiming at facilitating investigations and prosecuting organized crime including drug crimes and related money-laundering.

“[These] include West African Network of Central Authorities and Prosecutors (WACAP), Asset Recovery Inter-Agency Network for Southern Africa (ARINSA), Asset Recovery Inter-Agency Network of West Africa (ARINWA) as well as the UNODC CRIMJUST programme.”

According to the statement, they also urged governments in African countries to promote cooperation and the sharing of best practices in the confiscation of proceeds of crime, including drug-related cases.

“Governments should adopt adequate legal and regulatory frameworks on virtual assets, including cryptocurrencies, to prevent and combat their use for drug-related crime and money-laundering.”

The HONLAF Working Group also adopted some other recommendations during the 31st the annual meeting.

These include: asking African governments “to develop and implement drug policy responses that address, indirectly or directly, the environmental impact of illicit crop cultivation, drug manufacture and drug use.

“Governments are encouraged to empower indigenous people, youth groups and local communities to protect the land, forest reserves and water sources in their areas, making the best of local knowledge and in line with local interests and needs

“To address the challenge of limited data, countries are encouraged to promote research and monitoring systems to collect data and establish baselines on environmental impact, which will allow for evidence-based interventions and impact assessment.

“Governments are encouraged to strengthen their capacity to safely dispose of seized drugs, chemicals and the precursors and drug waste, utilizing guidance available from relevant national organisations as well as UNODC.

“Governments are encouraged to increase domestic collaboration between law enforcement agencies and other relevant national agencies, such as the ministries of environment and agriculture.”