This Wednesday, Colonel Issa Diack, head of the Intelligence and Operations Center of the National Gendarmerie, presented data on operations carried out in 2024 to combat crime and drug trafficking in Senegal. The statistics reveal a worrying situation, marked by record seizures and mass arrests, made possible by increased controls.

In the Louga region, gendarmerie forces arrested 132 people involved in various crimes, including drug trafficking. "Our interventions made it possible to dismantle several networks and arrest individuals active in crime," said Colonel Diack. Among the notable seizures, the gendarmerie confiscated 5,396 kg of Indian hemp, representing 92% of total drug seizures in 2024, including 3,272 kg in Dakar alone. Cocaine seizures amounted to 318 kg, mainly concentrated in Thiès (310 kg) and Dakar. Regarding synthetic drugs, 1,284 "Drama King" tablets and 722 other tablets were intercepted, notably in Kédougou and Tambacounda, cross-border transit zones.

"These figures confirm that roads and ports remain the main corridors for drug trafficking. We have stepped up our controls to deal with them effectively," the colonel stressed. He specified that the traffickers arrested are mainly Senegalese men over 30 years old, often from the informal sector, which complicates their traceability. Foreigners, for their part, are more involved in hard drug trafficking. On the other hand, consumers are mainly young people, with an average age of 30, and prefer Indian hemp.

Given the scale of the phenomenon, the gendarmerie plans to strengthen its systems in 2025. "We are going to step up surveillance of strategic axes and deepen our collaboration with national and international partners to stem this scourge," concluded Colonel Diack.