Africa-Press – Gambia. The Minister of Interior, Abdoulie Sanyang, has disclosed that while cocaine is not widely consumed in The Gambia, the country continues to serve as a transit route for drug trafficking networks targeting Europe.
Speaking during a special edition of the Mansa Kunda program, Minister Sanyang said The Gambia’s strategic location makes it vulnerable to international drug traffickers.
“We now know that cocaine is not actually being used here that much, but they are using Gambia as a transit point to go to Europe,” he explained.
The minister stressed that the government, through the Drug Law Enforcement Agency (DLEAG) and other security services, is intensifying efforts to intercept illicit drug shipments and dismantle trafficking networks.
“And then we are trying to disrupt the network, and I think we are succeeding,” he said.
According to him, recent collaborative operations with Senegalese security forces have led to significant seizures. “If we look at what I think was about two weeks ago, our intelligence and the Senegalese intelligence worked together; there was a big catch in Senegal,” he revealed.
He added that authorities in The Gambia have also intercepted cocaine shipments at the Banjul International Airport. “Of recent also, there were some catches at the airport; we are doing our utmost best, but this is a concerted effort,” he noted.
Minister Sanyang emphasized that drug abuse and trafficking remain global challenges, requiring substantial resources to combat. “Drug abuse and drug usage is a global problem not only in The Gambia, and it is very difficult to fight. You need a lot of resources to fight drugs because of the money that is involved,” he said.
Minister Sanyang identified the country’s porous borders as a major obstacle, noting they severely hinder law enforcement’s ability to monitor all entry points. He conceded that most drugs, with the notable exception of marijuana, are imported through these channels.
“In the Gambia also, one of the main problems is we have porous borders, and we cannot police all our borders; we know most of them, except that of marijuana, are imported drugs,” he said.
The minister called on citizens to play an active role by sharing intelligence and cooperating with law enforcement. “For us to be able to fight this thing, we need the intel; we also need the information from citizens. I think together we can fight the drug menace,” he appealed.
Minister Sanyang reaffirmed the government’s commitment to tackling drug trafficking and abuse in the country.
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