In a joint effort, the Aviation Police (AVPOL) has teamed up with other security forces to impound drugs worth Shs 2.9 billion since the beginning of the year, according to Juliet Baguma, the officer in charge of AVPOL. The most confiscated drugs include cocaine, heroin, and methamphetamine. Over the last 10 months, AVPOL, working in collaboration with the Criminal Investigations Directorate (CID), Crime Intelligence (CI), Internal Security Organization (ISO), and Directorate of Citizenship and Immigration Control (DCIC), has seized 56.6kg of narcotic drugs attempting to enter or exit the country via Entebbe Airport.
Baguma disclosed that the seizures included 42.7kg of heroin, 6.6kg of cocaine, and 7.2kg of methamphetamine. On the black market, a kilogram of heroin costs between $10,000 and $15,000, cocaine is priced at $15,000 to $20,000, while methamphetamine fetches $20,000 and above. The prices, however, fluctuate depending on the scarcity of these narcotics, influenced by stringent operations against drug trafficking in the US and Europe.
The recent arrest of 58 suspected drug traffickers in Italy, with drugs valued at €44.2 million, highlights the global nature of this illicit trade. Baguma noted that most intercepted drug traffickers at Entebbe Airport are Ugandans, followed by Nigerians, Indians, Cameroonians, Senegalese, and Tanzanians. The majority of the arrested Ugandans were trafficking drugs to various countries, including Brazil, India, Australia, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and India.
Baguma acknowledged challenges faced by AVPOL and CID in securing convictions for foreign drug traffickers, often hindered by powerful government individuals who swiftly deport them. She cited inadequate training in the investigations of narcotic drugs, limited exposure to diverse skills and tools of enforcement, and financial constraints as significant obstacles.
One notable gap in intelligence operations is the absence of body scanners, hindering the expedited identification of suspects who may have swallowed drug pellets. Baguma emphasized the need to expand intelligence with international contacts for more effective operations, criticizing the current National Drug Policy and Authority as too weak to handle drug criminals, turning Uganda's airport into a transit route.
Unlike the United States, which has a history of extraditing drug traffickers from various parts of the world, many African countries, including Uganda, often struggle to follow up with suspects once they have evaded detection at airports. The collaborative efforts of AVPOL and other security forces aim to address these challenges and strengthen Uganda's stance against the trafficking of narcotics through its airports.
