As part of the effectiveness of Regional efforts to combat drug cartels, The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) recently conducted a regional training in Abidjan, Côte D’Ivoire for six West African Countries on how to dismantle clandestine laboratories. The training which took place between March 27 and 29 was part of an ECOWAS project known as “Organised Crime: West African Response to Trafficking” (OCWART).
The training involved six other West African countries: Republic of Benin, Ghana, Sierra Leone, Liberia, The Gambia, Cote D’Ivoire, and Nigeria. It was co-funded by the European Union (EU) and German Federal Foreign Office and executed primarily by Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) and United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime, UNODC. It seeks to strengthen regional action against drug cartels.
As the lead agency at the workshop, NDLEA shared their experiential knowledge acquired from dismantling 21 clandestine laboratories found in Nigeria since 2011 to teach other West African countries the practical know-how of handling illicit laboratories. A team of NDLEA facilitators delivered eight topical lectures, practicals and Q&A sessions in two days.
The first two days of the workshop focused on various perspectives on the subject matter. It included the anatomy of a clandestine laboratory, basic clandestine lab investigation techniques, intelligence gathering, operations safety and guidelines for dismantling clandestine laboratories, clean-up and decontamination of illicit labs and sites, basics of controlled delivery and prosecuting cases of clandestine laboratories.
The workshop was wrapped up on the third day with a practical exercise on the dismantling of a mock clandestine laboratory at the Abidjan Police Academy. The Nigerian contingent set up the mock lab, and the participants, divided into teams, took turns to dismantle and decontaminate.
The workshop’s seven participating countries sent in representatives from relevant organisations. Ghana’s Narcotics Control Commission; Sierra Leone’ Serious Organised Crime and Counter Terrorism Coordination Directorate; Drug Law Enforcement Agency of the Gambia (DLEAG); Transnational Crime Unit of Liberia and the INTERPOL. The Republic of Benin was represented by the Organised Crime Fighting Unit (CELCO), Customs and Narcotics Office (OCERTID), while the host, Côte D’Ivoire, had representatives from Narcotics Squad from Judicial Police (DPSD), Customs, National Gendarmerie, Transnational Crime Unit (TCU), Forensic Police Laboratory and Joint Airport Interdiction Task Force (JAITF).
Speaking at the opening ceremony, UNODC Country Representative and its Senior Adviser, Law Enforcement, West and East Africa, Ishaqu Suman Toure, described the latitude of the workshop as both enforcement and judicial capacity building. The project offers technical and equipment support, as well as facilitates discussion of joint operations among member countries.
Similarly, Mr Kouma Yao Ronsard, Secretary General of the Inter-ministerial Committee for the Fight against Drugs, who represented the Minister of Interior and Security for Côte d’Ivoire, General Vagondo Diomande, noted: “This workshop will ensure that law enforcement agencies across the region are equipped with the modern knowledge and equipment to fight transnational organised crime.”
Dr. Amado de Andrés, UNODC Regional Representative for West and Central Africa, presented certificates to the participants and emphasized the importance of cooperation among countries in the fight against organised crime. The training is a significant step towards enhancing regional capacity to dismantle clandestine drug laboratories and curb drug trafficking in West Africa.