2015 most successful year for NDEA |31 December 2015

During the year just ending the NDEA (National Drugs Enforcement Agency) has established itself as a competent and efficient organisation in its continuing efforts to stem the importation and distribution of illegal drugs into the country.

The agency, which was established as a fledgling organisation with just a few personnel in 2008, has over the intervening years been developed into a law enforcement agency as a formidable organisation with a proven track record of success in terms of seizures of drugs and arresting offenders.

The success of the agency is reflected in the number of key individuals who controlled the drug trade in the country who have either been captured or forced to move their operations overseas.

Secondly more than 200 traffickers have been sentenced to prison terms and 125 are awaiting trial. This does not include those who have been arrested in possession of small amounts of drugs and whose cases are being processed on an ongoing basis before the lower courts.

A key feature of those who have been arrested for serious offences is the increasing involvement of women. In 2015 women accounted for 37% of arrests for serious offences such as trafficking and importation compared to approximately 10% of overall arrest for all categories of offences.

The growing involvement of women in drug trafficking is characterised by their being used to transport and import drugs using a variety of guises and pretences. Many are frequent travellers to locations such as South Africa, Madagascar, Kenya and Dubai using the pretence of shopping for clothes and other goods ostensibly for sale to work colleagues. The arrest of several women using these guises illustrates the extent to which they are being used by those who control the trade both here and overseas.

International cooperation and partnerships

In addressing these and other issues the NDEA has become an integral part of the Indian Ocean group of countries that have combined their resources to address the drug problem from both a national and regional perspective. The NDEA and its regional partners are working together to share information and meet on a regular basis to identify the main traffickers, examine their travel patterns and their connections outside the country. This initiative is necessary to counter the activities of both nationals and foreigners who travel to and through the country bringing their contraband disguised in every manner of means. This aspect of the agencies’ work is essential to try and stop the flow of drugs into the country.

These partnerships with drug enforcement agencies of neighbouring countries are beneficial now that drug traffickers have developed very sophisticated methods of disguise for drugs. Heroin while retaining its composition can be disguised into a multitude of different disguises and either concealed in commercial or personal cargo and goods, ingested or inserted into the human body.

The increased level of activity among the international network of agencies has had several successes. Five of the principal individuals who are sometimes referred as big fish have been forced to leave the country and set up home abroad to avoid facing justice for drug-related activities. Their network of contacts and business activities have been disrupted or destroyed. In addition their movements are now subject to surveillance from drug enforcement agencies in the countries where they have taken refuge. They however continue to import drugs.

The agency is in regular contact with the countries where it is believed those people are, so that if and when they move from those countries their whereabouts will be notified after which a legal process can be initiated to have them returned to face trial.

Performance outputs

The year just finishing has been by far the most successful since the agency was established. So far in 2015 drugs seized amount to 39kg of heroin, 61kg of cannabis products and 1,690 cannabis plants with a total estimated value of over US $14 million or R178.5 million. In 2014, illegal drugs worth around US $3 million with over 87kg of illegal substances were seized, surpassing its 2013 figures by around 150 percent.

Investigations

A number of major investigations are underway in respect of arrests and confiscations carried out throughout the year. These refer to cases of trafficking, importation and cultivation. The value of illegal drugs seized during the year is almost R178 million, the impact of which has resulted in severely diminishing the returns on the capital invested by the traffickers and significantly reducing their influence and their ability to control others involved and those who might be tempted to collaborate with them.

Significant seizures and impact of NDEA operations during 2015

It can be safely stated that the country is a safer place as a result of those significant seizures. In January two significant seizures were made. The first was when 18,200 grammes of cannabis were seized at Cascade and a 20-year-old technician was arrested. The second seizure was made at Béolière and a 40-year- old taxi driver was arrested. Both are in custody awaiting trial.

In February one kilogramme of heroin was seized on a ship that was berthed at the Port of Victoria. In a second seizure in February 500 grammes of herb were recovered at Pascal Village.

In March there was the largest seizure of heroin ever made in the country when almost 36 kilogrammes of heroin was seized at La Misère. The drug emanated from Dubai and was tracked from there to its final destination. Five persons are awaiting trial and two are currently residing overseas evading justice.

In May a 35-year-old man was arrested at Roche Caïman in possession of approximately 250 grammes of cannabis resin and in June four women were arrested on their return from South Africa in possession of over 100 grammes of heroin.

A further seizure was effected in July when 350 grammes of heroin was seized at the airport and three men arrested as they returned from Dubai. Also in July 1,384 cannabis plants were recovered making it one of the biggest cannabis plantations ever recovered in the country. A further 283 plants were recovered in a follow-up operation the following month, August.

In September a 53-year-old man, whom many regarded as the principal supplier of drugs in the area, was arrested at Beau Vallon after he was found in possession of 82 grammes of hash. In October 243 grammes of hash was recovered at Anse Aux Pins, a further 66 grammes of hash was recovered at Roche Caïman and 28 packets of heroin were recovered at Corgat Estate. In November more than 500 grammes of hash was recovered at Les Mamelles and in December more than 1.7 kilogrammes of heroin was recovered from two women after they disembarked from a flight from Madagascar via Kenya.

Supply routes

The NDEA is aware that traffickers are using dhows sailing from the Makran coast between Iran and Pakistan to transport the drugs and the consignments are then transferred to smaller vessels destined for the East African coast. The region is attractive to international drug trafficking organisations seeking to exploit non-existent or ineffective border [land, sea and air] controls, limited cross border and regional co-operation as well as serious deficiencies in the criminal justice systems in many of the countries affected before the drugs arrive in Seychelles.

Drugs emanating from drug producing nations around the world locations amount to some 800 tonnes annually that are trafficked using every means possible to reach a growing market that is mainly driven by addiction.

Seychelles is among a number of regional countries that have realised the potential threat and have been taking the initiative to address it. The agency has been attending a series of conferences and workshops that have been held here in Seychelles, Tanzania and Sri Lanka bringing together representatives of several regional countries during which it was agreed to develop cooperation and share information on the identification, movement and activities of suspects and drug seizures.

Training and development

The successes of the agency have resulted from careful selection of new recruits through competency based interviews and a comprehensive training programme that has been put in place. The majority of these recruited into the agency already possess a variety of life skills and experience gained from their previous occupations and training in other occupations. The training provided includes acquiring a thorough knowledge of the legislation governing illegal drugs and the court proceedings associated with arrests arising from the successful implementation of the law.

Recruits are also familiarised with the relevant sections of the Constitution especially those dealing with human rights and the rights of those who are arrested. Other topics include the skills required in the safe use of a variety of containments required to enforce the law as and when necessary and appropriate. In-service training is also provided to existing agents to ensure that they retain their skills and knowledge of laws and procedures.

Operation Netwayaz

In September, additional resources drawn from the police and SPDF (Seychelles People’s Defence Forces) were made available to enable the agency to address the public order aspect of the drug situation at a number of locations throughout the country. The resulting operation, codenamed ‘Operation Netwayaz’ combined the acquired resources  with those of the NDEA, has resulted in removing users and dealers from these locations, thus ensuring that they do not have a ready or safe location to carry on their illegal activities.

Targeting ill-gotten assets
 
Combining the resources of those involved in ‘Operation Netwayaz’ a new ‘Field Investigation Unit’ became operational in October and is currently being run by eight full-time agents with the support of other resources that is available to the NDEA, including the help of the dog unit.

This unit with its focus on addressing illegally acquired assets is important, after having spent the last couple of years targeting drug trafficking and the subsequent arrest of those involved in the trade. The operation also includes a support programme for the addicts, where they can voluntarily accept to go for detoxification and later join a rehabilitation programme.

The mandate of the new unit is to target the criminally gained assets of criminals involved in the drug trade in Seychelles. Assets that may be subject to seizure include cars, trucks, business, houses and money that are derived from dealing in drugs. Targeting ill-gotten assets will be done in conjunction with the Financial Investigation Unit which is an independent statutory body responsible for ensuring compliance with Anti-Money Laundering and Countering Financing of Terrorism legislation. According to the Money Laundering Act of Seychelles, a person found guilty of money laundering is liable to pay a fine not exceeding R5 million and or a prison term of 15 years.

Although the process of seizing illegal assets can be quite long in Seychelles, the NDEA feels there is ample legislation in place to deal with such cases. The agents of the new unit have been trained by competent instructors on all aspects of asset tracking and tracing. They also have at hand expert advice in the fields of accounting and legal expertise in relation to criminal proceeds that are relevant when targeting illegal assets.

The future

The NDEA has demonstrated that it is well placed, trained and equipped to tackle the drug problem into the future. Plans and strategies are in place to address any new trends that may arise and to concentrate on those already in existence.