SENEGAL: 2006 INTERNATIONAL NARCOTICS CONTROL

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 03 DAKAR 002717 SIPDIS SIPDIS STATE FOR INL, AF/RSA, AF/W AND INR/AA JUSTICE FOR OIA, AFMLS AND NDDS TREASURY FOR FINCEN DEA FOR OILS AND OFFICE OF DIVERSION CONTROL LAGOS FOR DEA E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: SNAR SG SUBJECT: SENEGAL: 2006 INTERNATIONAL NARCOTICS CONTROL STRATEGY REPORT (INCSR),PART I, DRUGS AND CHEMICAL CONTROL REF: STATE 154898 Below is Part I, Drugs and Chemical Control, of the 2006 INSCR for Senegal. The text is keyed to the format provided in reftel. ¶I. SUMMARY -------------- ¶1. Counter-narcotics elements of the Senegalese government remain concerned about the production and trafficking of cannabis, and to a lesser degree, hashish. Increasingly, quantities of cocaine are being seized; heroin seizures are rare. Senegal's 2005 money laundering statute and the establishment of a financial intelligence unit has had a limited impact. Senegalese authorities have been under pressure from European nations to curtail illegal immigration to the EU and bilateral assistance to combat immigration may also inhibit narcotics trafficking. Education and strict enforcement of drug laws remain cornerstones of Senegal's counter-narcotics goals. Senegal is a party to the 1988 UN Drug Convention. II. STATUS OF COUNTRY -------------- ¶2. While trafficking of all types of drugs, including heroin, cocaine and psychotropic depressants, exists in Senegal, cannabis production and trafficking continued to resist most enforcement efforts. Southern Senegal's Casamance region is at the center of the cannabis trade. It is generally acknowledged that a portion of agricultural development is illicit cannabis cultivation. Police are reluctant to undertake greater enforcement efforts against cannabis cultivation in the Casamance for fear of hampering the ongoing efforts to establish peace. ¶3. Senegal also serves as a transit country for traffickers due to its location, infrastructure and porous borders. During 2006, authorities interdicted a container of more than eight tons of hashish en route from Pakistan to Europe. Additionally, there is evidence that cocaine originating from South America is increasingly transiting Senegal en route to Europe. Senegalese, European and UN Office of Drugs and Crime (UNODC) efforts to tighten security at the maritime port are still in the development phase. In general, drug enforcement efforts remain under-funded and undermanned, allowing the illegal cannabis trade and trafficking to continue unabated. �00A; III. COUNTRY ACTIONS AGAINST DRUGS IN 2006 -------------- ¶4. Policy Initiatives: Senegal developed a national plan of action against drug abuse and the trafficking of drugs in 1997. Multidisciplinary in its approach, Senegal's national plan includes programs to control the cultivation, production and traffic of drugs; inform the population of the dangers of drug use; and reintroduce former drug addicts into society. Full implementation of this plan again remains stalled due to funding constraints. Periodic efforts to improve coordination have been hampered because of insufficient funding. The Senegalese National Assembly in recent years passed a uniform common law and issued a decree against money laundering. ¶5. Accomplishments: The amount of hard drugs seized by police in Senegal is small by international standards. Due to weak enforcement efforts and inadequate record keeping, it is difficult to assess accurately the real drug problem in the country. Police lack the training and equipment to detect drug smuggling. Historically, Senegal has undertaken few cannabis eradication efforts. As previously mentioned, police forces are constrained in their efforts to eradicate cannabis cultivation in the southern part of the country because of a long-term insurgency. Meetings have been organized with island populations in the south in accordance with the U.N. Program for International Control of Drugs to promote substitution of cannabis cultivation with that of other crops. ¶6. Law Enforcement Efforts: Although no significant changes were made to law enforcement strategies, "L'Office central de repression du traffic-illicite de stupefiants" (OCRTIS) seized more that eight tons of hashish destined for Europe from Pakistan in a single seizure in mid-2006. Dakar's position on the west coast of Africa and the presence of an international airport and seaport make it an enticing transit point for drug dealers. The Port of Dakar and the Leopold Sedar Senghor International Airport are the two primary points of entry/exit of drugs in Senegal. An increasing amount of narcotics, often cocaine, is being brought to Senegal by vehicle and boat from Guinea Bissau. ¶7. Given limitations on funding, training and policy, there is only DAKAR 00002717 002 OF 003 limited ability to guard Senegal's points of entry from the transiting of drugs through Dakar. The international airport has drug enforcement agents present, but they lack the training and equipment to systematically detect illegal drugs. The airport authority's efforts to attain Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) Category One certification have resulted in the tightening of security procedures and more thorough passenger luggage screening. Presumably, this has had the positive outcome of discouraging drug trafficking through the airport. UNODC is developing a multi-agency program (Customs, Gendarmes and Ministry of Interior Police) for screening and controlling container shipments. Although the USG sponsored the establishment of a Financial Intelligence Unit, with an in-country U.S. Treasury Department advisor, the unit has not been directed against traffickers. European efforts to combat illegal immigration, particularly to Spain, which has provided maritime patrol capabilities, may also serve to inhibit the trafficking of narcotics. ¶8. Corruption: Corruption is a problem for narcotics law enforcement all over Africa, but the USG is unaware of any narcotics-related corruption at senior levels of the Senegalese government. In 2004, the National Commission against Non-Transparency, Corruption and Misappropriation of Funds, an autonomous investigative panel, was created. The efficiency of the commission's efforts remains to be seen. The GOS does not, as a matter of government policy, encourage or facilitate illicit production or distribution of narcotic or psychotropic drugs or other controlled substances, or the laundering of proceeds from illegal drug transactions. No senior GOS officials engage in, encourage or facilitate the illicit production or distribution of such drugs or substances, or the laundering of proceeds from illegal drug transactions. ¶9. Agreements and Treaties: Senegal has several bilateral agreements with neighboring countries to combat narcotics trafficking, and has signed mutual legal assistance agreements with the United Kingdom and France in efforts to combat narcotics trafficking. Through cooperation with other members of the West African Economic and Monetary Union (WAEMU or UEMOA),a uniform common law against money laundering exists. Senegal is also a party to the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) protocol agreement, which includes an extradition provision. Traffickers and their organizations are subject to asset seizures, imprisonment and permanent exclusion from Senegal if convicted. Senegal is a party to the 1988 UN Drug Convention, the 1971 UN Convention on Psychotropic Substances, and the 1961 UN Single Convention on Narcotic Drugs, as amended by the 1972 Protocol. ¶10. Cultivation/Production: Although cannabis cultivation in Senegal is not a large problem in relation to global rates of cultivation, it could become a serious internal drug problem for Senegal. Efforts to eradicate cannabis cultivation in the Casamance region have improved slightly as military forces increased their presence and activities during the year. ¶11. Drug Flow/Transit: According to the Chief of the Office Central de Repression du Trafic Illicite (OCRTIS),the trend in the amount of illicit drugs transiting through Senegal continues to increase. OCRTIS is monitoring the transshipment of hashish and cocaine through Senegal. The U.S. is not a destination point for these drugs. ¶12. Domestic Programs: There is no comprehensive GOS policy for systematic destruction of domestic cannabis or prevention of transshipment of harder drugs. Enforcement efforts are sporadic and uncoordinated. NGOs, such as the Observatoire Geostrategique des Drogues et de la Deviance (OGDD),have taken the lead in public education efforts. OGDD continued a program that began in 2001. The first phase involved a campaign of information targeted at cannabis cultivators, arguing that the land had greater potential if it were used for purposes other than drugs, that drugs were bad for the environment and health, and that drugs were degrading the economy. Village committees have been established to convey the above information to sensitize people to the problems associated with drug use. The focus of the second phase of the program is to encourage farmers to substitute alternative crops for drugs on their land. Due to funding constraints, however, implementation of this part of the program has been impeded. Other associations for the prevention of drug abuse are in the process of elaborating a program of drug prevention under the auspices of the International Committee for the Fight against Drugs, which is managed by the Ministry of the Interior. DAKAR 00002717 003 OF 003 IV. U.S. POLICY INITIATIVES AND PROGRAMS -------------- ¶13. USG goals and objectives in Senegal are to strengthen law enforcement capabilities in counter-narcotics efforts. In 2002, the USG started a program to train counter-narcotics agents in drug investigation and interdiction methods under the State Department's Bureau of International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs (INL). The program provided USD 220,000 for several law enforcement programs that will aid the police in all aspects of narcotics investigatins and prosecutions. Additionally, the USG is in the sixth year of continued training to the technicians at the National Drug Laboratory that was founded with basic drug analysis equipment and training provided by INL. There were no new legal agreements against drug use or trafficking concluded between the USG and GOS in the past year. ¶14. The Road Ahead. The USG will continue to work closely with the Senegalese government to improve the capacity of its narcotics law enforcement officers to investigate and prosecute narcotics crimes. ¶V. STATISTICAL TABLES -------------- DRUG 2003 2004 2005 -------------- -------------- Opium None on record Cannabis 3751 kg 2787 kg 335 kg Cocaine 355 g 1657 g 5505 g Methamph. None on record MDMA 4187 doses N/A N/A VI. COMMENT -------------- ¶15. Figures for Senegal's drug seizures are compiled from separate reports generated by the Ministry of the Interior and the Ministry of Defense. Final statistics for 2006 will not be available until early January 2007 and will be reported septel when received. END COMMENT. VI. CHEMICAL CONTROL -------------- ¶16. There are no grounds for adding Senegal to the list of chemical control countries at this time. Jacobs