The International Day against Drug Abuse and Trafficking is celebrated this Wednesday, June 26, 2024. If on the one hand the government is increasing seizures with the commitment of several police units jointly with customs, on the ground, a very sad reality plays out, drugs being sold freely and devastating several families. Many of them proclaim loudly and clearly that this remains one of the main causes of the feeling of insecurity which prevails in the country…
On the one hand, the Anti-Drug and Smuggling Unit (Adsu) says it is waging a diligent fight against drug trafficking on the ground. On the other hand, a completely different reality prevails. Day and night, drugs are sold like hotcakes in several regions of the country, notably in Karo Kalyptis, Roche-Bois, and in Cité Ste-Claire, Goodlands. Addicts themselves say it: “Nou gagn nou ladrog 24/7. »
Monday and Tuesday, practically on the eve of the celebration of the International Day against Drug Abuse and Trafficking, a visit to some regions of the island confirms that drugs remain available in usual points of sale, and this in the middle of the day. The absence of units engaged in the fight against drug trafficking is also noted.
” It's a reality. The traffickers are several steps ahead of the anti-drug brigade, in terms of resources and logistics,” recognizes an experienced sleuth from the Central Barracks.
In the alleys of Karo Kalyptis, drug sales are in full swing. Lookouts swarm in the neighborhood. Their role: to raise the alarm at the slightest suspicious movement. “Pa park loto la rien pou gagn kout dilo bwi,” thunders a woman who stands guard at the biggest point of sale in Karo Kalyptis.
A real “Fancy Fair”
A little further on, on the path leading to the place called “Parc”, the mecca of drug trafficking in this suburb of the capital, it’s business as usual. A parking space has been specially designed to accommodate customers who flock continuously, all day long, to obtain their doses. Half-quarter grams of various drugs flow out in a flash.
“It feels like a market where the 'half-kar' sells for Rs 400,” chants a dealer, who is holding a plastic bag containing doses wrapped in aluminum foil. On site, it runs in all directions. Men and women of all ages, looking excited, rush to their point of purchase.
In the afternoons, the site transforms into a real “Fancy Fair” with long queues visible for miles around. “Kouma travay fini tanto, sa ler la Karo Kalyptis defonse”, testifies a regular of the place.
Silence, it’s injecting…
In Karo Kalyptis, drug trafficking is not limited to the sale of illicit substances. Drug addicts find a range of services there that facilitate their consumption. In addition to the availability of various drugs, including psychotropic tablets and hard drugs, syringes and caps used to cook heroin are also on sale. Regulars of the place say that they also have the facility to inject themselves on site. “Ena dimounn ofer zot lakour a bann konsomater pour pike. Zot bizin pey propriet lakour la. Zot finished pike lerla zot ale. Koumsa if the Adsu pe bare an deor, pa pou gagn ladrog ar zot,” testifies one of them. In the north of the country, the Cité Ste-Claire region remains one of the main drug sales points. At the entrance to this suburb of Goodlands, access is rigorously controlled by the kingpins' henchmen. Some go so far as to block the street to check on people coming and going.
“Zot fer ou aret lotto ek bes vit tinte pou gete si bann misie la (the police; Editor’s note) pa dan lotto. Lerla zot les or mont lao. Bann nouvo figir pa gain rantre isi,” explains an anonymous source.
Ally Lazer: “From bad to worst”
Within the Association of Social Workers of Mauritius, the tireless Ally Lazer has continued her crusade for 43 long years against the proliferation of drugs. In yet another statement given to the press, he questioned the figure provided by the head of government which states that the police have detained around 25,000 people for drug offenses. “May the authority tell me how many traffickers are there among these 25,000 suspects arrested? I demand a face-to-face meeting with the Prime Minister on this subject,” said the social worker in his statement to the press.
Ally Lazer is categorical: “Lotorite pa pe kas lerin trafikan ladrog, me li pe kares lerin trafikan. 'From bad to worst'. » He insists that the main obstacle in this fight remains corruption: “We have already lost the fight against drug trafficking because of corruption. To win this war, we must win the fight against corruption. »
Adsu: “We occupy every nook and cranny of Mauritius and Rodrigues”
“In Mauritius, as in Rodrigues, the different units of the Adsu dominate the field,” points out a high-ranking officer of the headquarters of the anti-drug brigade of the Central Barracks. Elements of the Field Investigation Office have the mission of gathering information on large drug networks as well as on small dealers.
Once the information is confirmed, the units work to put these deal points and other individuals linked, directly or indirectly, to the traffickers out of harm's way. The senior officer emphasizes that in addition to Adsu investigators, other units, such as the Police Headquarters Special Striking Team, the Divisional Crime Intelligence Unit as well as the Special Intelligence Cell of the Special Supporting Unit, are engaged in the dismantling drug networks.
“Adsu has offices across Mauritius and Rodrigues in each district. It occupies every inch of land, the smallest nooks and crannies. The Police Commissioner mentioned that it is the job of every police officer to fight drug trafficking, not just that of the Adsu,” said this senior officer straight away.
He asks the population to get involved in this fight: “Drug traffickers thrive when there is indifference among the population. Indifference is fertilizer for drug kingpins. Parents, teachers and religious institutions have the role of prevention so that people do not fall into the cycle of drug addiction. »
Statistics v reality
25,343 suspects arrested, according to Pravind Jugnauth
The government, particularly the Prime Minister, often highlights the number of drug seizures made as well as the market value of drugs withdrawn from the market. Pravind Jugnauth loudly affirmed, in front of new police recruits during the Passing Out Parade last week, that 25,343 suspects were arrested for drug offenses from 2015 to 2024. He added that the market value total narcotics seized amounts to more than Rs 16 billion.
However, social workers and some investigators from the Adsu claim that the reality on the ground is quite different. They believe that it is the arrests of small consumers, who also fall into the net of the anti-drug squad, which inflate the statistics on seizures in certain cases.
“Very often, Adsu searches small consumers who, when leaving the merchant, are arrested with one or two doses, while the seller continues to sell his stock,” fumes a sleuth under the cover of anonymity.
He lifts the veil on a sad reality: “Nowadays, traffickers are several steps ahead of us. Unfortunately, when we go to carry out a search or when we work on intelligence, our colleagues must not know who we are monitoring because of the risk of information leaking. »
