Representative to the International Narcotics Control Board,René Banks to Echorouk: “Algerian authorities must tighten procedures of importing chemical precursors”

Sources from the Algerian customs told Echorouk that 40 importers share over 32 thousands litres of chemical precursors entering Algeria annually.

• Some of these chemicals used in manufacturing drugs such as cocaine, heroin, explosives and bombs that are produced in secret laboratories to be directed to terrorist groups that use them in their attacks.
• In this context, manager of “Biochim” company to import chemicals, Medjadji told Echorouk that the new measures in the complementary finance law tightened the work of importers through submission to the approval of many agencies to obtain the licence of importing this kind of products. Including the Ministry of Defence, Energy and Mines, Health, Transport, Agriculture, Industry and Customs, as well as subjecting the company that imported chemicals to depth security investigations.
• “The number of precursor chemicals, imported by these companies range between 8 to 10 articles, as the company can import ten articles, each containing 800 litres, approximately 8000 litres annually”, Medjadji added.
• According to information available to Echorouk, large quantities of these substances leaked and smuggled to terrorist groups that use them in manufacturing synthetic drugs such as cocaine, heroin and the dangerous amphetamine. Thus, following the footsteps of some countries like Colombia, Peru, Pakistan and France where secret laboratories involved in the illicit production of methamphetamines and explosives by chemists and pharmacists who have efficient expertise and excellence, as other substances directed to the terrorist strongholds for manufacturing explosives and bombs.
• In the same context, sources from the Algerian Customs said that they could not stop importation of these chemicals because they are used in many areas as pharmaceutical industry, food, textile, plastics, petrochemicals, and cosmetics in legal factories and laboratories subject to control. However; at the same time, many cases of smuggling these substances to be used in manufacturing explosives were registered by security services that are obliged to take strict measures to control its transportation, storage and use through procedures in the New Finance Act that tightens the activity of importers and users of chemical precursors.
• The UN expert and representative to the International Narcotics Control Board (INCB), René Banks, told Echorouk; “Synthetic drugs and explisives, were ten years ago just a cottage industry, but now has become a big business controlled by organized crime gangs involved in all phases of this illicit trade. This made a rapid change in the markets of organized crime and quantity of clandestine laboratories, as well as the degree of their rapid spread”.
• “Algeria ranked in the list of countries that have become a transit hub of drugs to other countries especially the European ones, that’s why Algerian government have to tighten import of these materials and benefit from mechanisms of international cooperation and make use of international controls to prevent smuggling chemical substances to terrorist groups. This is the reason of our presence in Algeria”.