Heads of National Drug Law Enforcement Agencies, Africa (HONLAF) have called for the setting up of specialised courts to try drug cases and other organised crimes across the continent.
They said this at the 31st Meeting of Heads of National Drug Law Enforcement Agencies, Africa (HONLAF) held in Abuja recently.
HONLAF advised governments to consider the establishment of national specialised courts and asset recovery offices which deals with organised crimes, money laundering, supports tracing, recovering and the management of proceeds of crime.
They also encouraged them to make effective use of existing informal regional and international cooperation instruments like West African Network of Central Authorities and Prosecutors (WACAP), Asset Recovery Inter-Agency Network for Southern Africa (ARINSA), Asset Recovery Inter-Agency Network of West Africa (ARINWA) as well as the UNODC CRIMJUST program to investigate and prosecute organised crimes.
They urged governments in African countries to adopt adequate legal and regulatory frameworks on virtual assets, including crypto currencies, to prevent and combat their use for drug-related crimes and money-laundering.
Other recommendations include: to develop and implement drug policy responses that address the environmental impact of illicit crop cultivation, drug manufacture and drug use, taking into consideration its positive and negative effects, empower indigenous people, youth groups and local communities to protect the land, forest reserves and water sources in their areas, promote research and monitoring systems to collect data and establish baselines on environmental impact, which will allow for evidence-based interventions and impact assessment.
HONLAF emphasised the importance of strengthening capacity to safely dispose of seized drugs, chemicals and the precursors and drug waste, utilising guidance available from relevant national organisations as well as UNODC and increase domestic collaboration between law enforcement agencies and other relevant national agencies, such as the ministries of environment and agriculture.