Tunisia: Tunisia Set to Revise 1992 Narcotics Law to Strengthen Fight Against Smuggling and Organised Crime

Tunisia is set to revise its 1992 narcotics law to strengthen efforts against smuggling and organized crime networks. The Narcotics Control Service at the Judicial Police Directorate, led by Mohamed Ali Chaibi, stated that the Interior Ministry is currently working on the amendments due to the evolution of drug-related crime. The revisions aim to develop tools for combating smuggling and dismantling organized crime networks that have expanded at local, regional, and international levels, particularly through modern communication technologies.

Chaibi emphasized the importance of new mechanisms to dismantle networks and intercept communications, as well as conducting undercover operations. The last partial revision of the law occurred in 2017, granting judges discretionary powers to apply mitigating circumstances in certain drug-use cases while maintaining severe penalties for couriers and traffickers.

Legal experts have criticized the law for contributing to the destruction of the future of many young people who have used drugs only once. Tunisia, located at the crossroads of major drug-trafficking routes due to its geographical position in the Mediterranean and North Africa, is a key point for drug trafficking through sea, air, and land. The country, particularly Libya, has become a storage area for various types of drugs due to the deteriorating security situation since 2011.

Chaibi highlighted the involvement of Tunisian freight carriers in trafficking operations and the rise in cocaine seizures over the past five years. The Ministry of Family, Women, Children, and the Elderly has begun implementing a national awareness program on preventing risks linked to narcotics networks.