Global Cooperation Sought by Algeria to Combat Drug Trafficking

Algeria has intensified its comprehensive approach to combating drug trafficking networks, employing both robust security operations and a proactive legal and diplomatic strategy. This expanded fight reflects the understanding that criminal drug networks, with their international connections, pose a significant threat to state security and stability. Recent security operations underscore this commitment, with combined detachments of the People's National Army in Tamanrasset arresting two traffickers and seizing over 58 kg of cocaine hidden in two trucks, as reported by the Ministry of Defense. Such seizures of drugs and psychotropics are viewed as an aggressive act against national security.

In response to the international scope of this criminal phenomenon, Algeria has extended its anti-drug efforts into the diplomatic realm, advocating for the elaboration or unification of legal frameworks among states within international or regional contexts. An Algerian parliamentary delegation, participating in the 43rd session of the Executive Committee of the Arab Inter-Parliamentary Union (UIPA) in Cairo, proposed including the fight against drugs in an urgent item for the upcoming Inter-Parliamentary Union (UIP) Assembly. Senator Djelloul Harrouchi, representing Algeria, underscored the necessity for global parliamentarians to contribute to this fight through strengthened international parliamentary cooperation and the mobilization of legislative and control mechanisms to counter transnational crime.

Algeria has also championed specific international legal measures, calling for an international classification of certain substances not yet subject to global control, such as pregabalin. This proposal was made at the closing of the 33rd meeting of the Heads of National Drug Law Enforcement Agencies in Africa (HONLEA-Africa), held in Vienna. Furthermore, Mr. Tarek Kour, Director General of the National Office for the Fight Against Drugs and Drug Addiction (ONCLDT), advocated on Algeria's behalf for the illicit trafficking and non-medical use of pregabalin to be a key discussion point at the next HONLEA-Africa session. Through these initiatives, Algeria aims to foster the exchange of knowledge and expertise among African nations, garnering continental support to develop a unified approach and formulate concrete recommendations at national, regional, and international levels.