Interior
Minister Mai Ahmad Fatty said on Wednesday the government will ramp up efforts
to stamp out the menace of illicit drugs in the country – as he presided over
the torching of about 2 tons of marijuana worth 8 million dalasis.
The
Gambia government through the Drug Law Enforcement Agency under the Ministry of
the Interior burnt 1 ton 940 kilograms 500 grams of cannabis sativa at an
incineration exercise held at Cape Point, Bakau.
And
Minister Fatty in his address at the ceremony said:“The Gambia under the new
dispensation cannot and will not be a safe haven for drug traffickers and
abusers.”
Adding:
“The crusade against drugs is an ongoing effort that shall remain relentless.
The future of this country will not be mortgaged by drug dealers, drug peddlers
and their patrons - andtoday we have demonstrated again our collective
commitment to protect our future.”
Fatty
describedthe ceremony as a milestone in the fight against the concerning issue
of drugs while urging everyone to cooperate to check the menace.
He
said: “Again, the Drug Law Enforcement Agency has demonstrated to all Gambians
and indeed the international community that the crusade against drugs is an
ongoing effort that shall remain relentless - and that they shall not be
daunted by challenges.”
And
he continued: “Combating drugs is one of the most difficult jobs one can embark
upon in modern times. While the number of drug users and traffickers is on the
increase, the methods of concealment are also getting more and more
sophisticated.
“I
want to put on notice those drug dealers and peddlers either local or
international that we are on your tail. We are going to utilise the best
intelligence, increase the capacity of our intelligence gathering mechanisms at
the level of the police supported by comprehensive policy directives together
with the DLEAG, SIS, Armed Forces and associate institutions to make sure -
over a period of time - drugs will no longer constitute a menace to The
Gambia.”
Earlier,
the director-general of the Drug Law Enforcement Agency said the fight against
drugs was complex and challenging.
He
said the war against drugs was worth fighting and the destruction exercise was
a key activity on the agenda of the Drug Law Enforcement Agency.
