French anti-terrorist judge calls for strengthening of legal system against traffickers of fake drugs
Lomé, Togo (PANA) - French anti-terrorist judge, Jean-Louis Bruguière, on Saturday in Lomé called on African states to strengthen their legal instruments against the trafficking of counterfeit drugs.
He noted that in African countries, the law relating to trafficking in counterfeit drugs are weak or the sentences are too small, making traffickers to not care about penalties.
Therefore, he urged states to "criminalise" the trafficking and distribution of counterfeit medicines and provide for heavy penalties, no less than 15 years.
Such a penalty, he stressed, would be a deterrent to the phenomenon.
Mr Bruguière, who fought against terrorism in France, said that intelligence studies, the results of which have not yet been updated, showed that terrorism is financed through trafficking in fake drugs.
It was, therefore, necessary to strengthen legislation in this area if States wished to combat this illicit trade effectively, he concluded.
Trafficking in counterfeit medicines, according to specialised agencies, brings huge profits to traffickers. It accounts for 10 to 15% of the world's drug market with an estimated value of US$200 billion.
From 17 to 18 January, the Togolese capital hosted a summit on counterfeit medicines with the aim of encouraging the criminalisation of this juicy trade that feeds terrorism.
-0- PANA FAA/TBM/MTA/MA 19Jan2020
