The Ministry also generated D10,827,000 generated from Biometric Passport (BMP), D9,414,720 from National Identity Cards (ID Cards) and D28,710,692 from Driver's Licences among others.
The minister also highlighted that series of school outreach activities in the form of symposiums, drama, debate and quiz competitions were conducted in schools across the country alongside the establishment of Anti-drug Clubs in several schools.
“It is worth noting that the problem of cannabis abuse must not be viewed in isolation. Records revealed that most of the people involved in the abuse of this drug are youth aged between 13 and 35. The socio-economic conditions of these young people (unemployment, underemployment, dropping out of school, home environment, etc) contribute significantly as push factors for cannabis trafficking and abuse.”
“We therefore require a holistic multi-sectoral/multi-disciplinary balance and integrated drug control policy to scrupulously approach and address the problem,” he argued.
He further argued that to succeed in countering the problem of drug abuse, “we must approach it as a public health issue and not a criminal justice issue. This is the approach the world is taking.”
“On the part of interdiction, our porous borders with the cannabis production area (rebel controlled part of Cassamance) vis-à-vis the limited resources allocated for operational activities present a serious challenge to enforcement,” he observed. “It was as a result of this situation, DLEAG signed an operational Memorandum of Understanding with their counterpart in Senegal – Office de Controle et de Repression du Trafic Wicite de Stupefiants (OCRTIS) in October 2018,” he added.
Similarly, he said “a tripartite Moll with Senegal and Bissau was signed in Banjul in July
Within the framework of these agreements, a joint operation named: ‘Operation Open Roads’ was conducted in December 2019 with the aim of strengthening sub-regional cooperation in drug interdiction and to nurture interoperability among the law enforcement officers of the three countries.
Officers are continuously trained on targeted inland and border interdiction tactics and an increased patrol around the border area. This resulted in the increase of seizures thus interrupting the supply,” the Minister disclosed.
