New anti-drugs tactic unveiled

• Plan by UN agencies also aims to combat terrorism at entry ports worldwide

A new initiative to combat drug-trafficking and terrorism at airports and ports around the world has been unveiled.

The Container Control Programme and Airport Communication Project aim at curbing drug-trafficking in ports and airports globally.

They are initiatives of two UN agencies - United Nations Office on Drug and Crime (UNODC) and World Customs Organisation (WCO).

Mombasa is among the ports in the spotlight of international security agencies because of a poor record of intercepting drugs, raising fears it could be one of those used by drug cartels to transfer drugs to Europe and the US.

According to a UNODC report, more than 420 million maritime containers move around the globe each year, accounting for 90 per cent of international trade, but only two per cent of them are inspected.

This has created opportunities for organised crime syndicates and terrorists.

“To address this gap, UNODC and the World Customs Organisation have created the Container Control Programme,” the report says.

It says the programme has achieved spectacular results by intercepting containers carrying illicit drugs, endangered species, hazardous materials and intentionally mislabelled goods.

In Africa, Ghana and Senegal were the first to embrace the programme, now being rolled out in other ports on the continent.

Endangered species

Aircraft, meanwhile, are increasingly being used to transport illicit drugs, weapons and victims of human trafficking.

Based on the successful model of the Container Control Programme, UNODC will begin offering help in air border management through the Airport Communication Project.

The project will build capacity at airports and upgrade professional skills.

Initially, 10 airports in West Africa, Brazil and Morocco will establish taskforces that will be trained and linked to one another to share information on the movement of certain cargo and passengers.