| James Kon |
THE importance of regional cooperation in efficiently combatting the drug problem was stressed by Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) Acting Director Haji Mohd Jaffari bin Haji Mahadi yesterday.
He made these comments during the opening of the 6th Intersessional Meeting of ASEAN Senior Officials on Drug Matters (ASOD) Working Group on Law Enforcement at the Kiulap Plaza Hotel.
Describing the regional drug problems, Haji Mohd Jaffari said, “The ASEAN region continues to see a significant increase of methylamphetamine seizures both in tablet and crystalline form.
“According to a report Synthetic Drugs in East and Southeast Asia: Trends and Patterns of Amphetamine-Type Stimulants and New Psychoactive Substances published by the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), it shows that over the last decade, more than 99 per cent of the methylamphetamine tablets seized are from the Greater Mekong Sub-Region.”
Haji Mohd Jaffari also said that the meeting serves as an excellent platform for law enforcement agencies within ASEAN to strengthen regional cooperation, exchange information and best practices in efficiently combatting regional drug problems and to promote potential new collaborations.
Citing some of the successful joint operations that yielded large quantities of methylamphetamine, he said, “Recently, as a result of a large-scale joint operation, Vietnamese drug law enforcement agencies seized a total of 300kg of methylamphetamine concealed in Chinese tea packages from Golden Triangle (Myanmar), via Lao PDR. This has led to another seizure of 276kg of methylamphetamine by the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency at the Manila Container Port.
“In another operation, Malaysia confiscated two tonnes of methylamphetamine concealed in Chinese tea packets. Such successful seizures are a testament that cooperation and information-sharing are vital in combatting the drug menace in the region.”
Due to the transnational nature of drug activities, he said, “It is ever more important for ASEAN member states (AMS) to cooperate and share the responsibility in combatting drug problems in this region.
“I would also like to highlight the importance of addressing precursor chemical diversion and trafficking, to ensure that our region does not become a prominent destination, as well as a source of various synthetic drugs.
“Moreover, in achieving the Drug-Free ASEAN aspiration, the ASEAN Work Plan on Securing Communities Against Illicit Drugs 2016-2019 were introduced to ensure drug threats are dealt with systematically and effectively.
“In the past years, ASOD’s achievements are apparent through several ASOD mechanism such as the ASEAN Airport Interdiction Task Force (AANITF), the ASEAN Seaport Interdiction Task Force (ASITF) and the ASEAN Narcotics Cooperation Centre (ASEAN-Narco), including the successful launch of three annual reports since 2016.”
The objectives of the two-day meeting are the continued increase of collaboration across borders with law enforcement agencies and dialogue partners; exploring conducive regional activities towards reaching ASEAN regional goals; and to cooperate with law enforcement agencies and dialogue partners in increasing regional cooperation and exchange of information on regional trends and modus operandi.
Among the issues being discussed at the meeting are cross-border investigations and joint operations, financial investigation of drug trafficking cases, exchange of information on precursor chemicals, use of arms by drug trafficking syndicates and others.
The meeting was chaired by Assistant Director of the Enforcement and Intelligence Division Ng Thin Chiong at the NCB, and attended by representatives from the Prime Minister’s Office, National Security Committee, the Royal Brunei Police Force, the Royal Customs and Excise Department, the Department of Scientific Services, and AMS delegates with the ASEAN Secretariat.