Mauritania strengthens legal framework against drug trafficking

The Mauritanian government has approved a new bill aimed at strengthening the national framework for combating narcotics and psychotropic substances. Adopted during a council of ministers meeting on August 27, the legislation expands the scope of criminal offenses to include the production, manufacturing, transformation, possession, cultivation, and trafficking of drugs.

The new legal arsenal includes specific provisions regarding chemical precursors and equipment used in illicit production. It also targets criminal organizations by criminalizing the founding, management, financing, and support of groups involved in drug trafficking. To disrupt these networks, the law allows for parallel financial investigations to trace criminal proceeds and empowers authorities to freeze, seize, and confiscate assets, equipment, and instruments linked to these offenses.

This legislative move follows an intensification of security operations and significant seizures by Mauritanian services since July. Locally, residents in certain outskirts of Nouakchott, such as Dar El Bewa, have reported a rise in drug-related aggression and social instability, citing the increased use of substances like ‘adross’ among youth.