December blits nails African drug-traffickers

In an operation designed
to strengthen anti-drug
trafficking measures at 22
international airports, the
World Customs Organisation
in December launched a pilot
operation in 15 West and
Central African countries.
Code-named Operation
COCAIR, the project was
intended to intercept Europebound
consignments of
cocaine and other drugs.
Over the course of seven
consecutive days, Customs
services from the various
countries involved in the
operation put the training
they were given into
practice: product recognition,
risk analysis, selection, as
well as information and
intelligence sharing.
Results were not long in
coming, and over the first
few days some ten or so
drugs seizures were made
on passengers as well as
in corpore, on the body or
concealed in suitcases. These
early cases were followed up
by the interception of capital,
arms and ammunition and
the discovery of works of art
being exported illegally from
Mali. Although the full set of
results is yet to be processed
due to the number of
participating countries, initial
indications are extremely
promising, according to the
WCO.
A press conference will
be held in Dakar (Senegal)
this month to present the
final results of the operation
and to outline the regional
strategy that will be
implemented to combat this
scourge more effectively.