Arabic version: تونس تعتزم مراجعة قانون المخدرات لاستهداف شبكات التهريب
According to Allafrica, Tunisia is preparing to revise its 1992 narcotics law to develop stronger tools against smuggling and organised crime networks operating locally, regionally and internationally. Mohamed Ali Chaibi, head of the Narcotics Control Service at the Judicial Police Directorate in El Gorjani, said the Interior Ministry is working on amendments to Law No. 52 of 1992 because drug-related crime has evolved, including through modern communication technologies.
Chaibi said the proposed changes would seek to enable the dismantling of networks through new mechanisms, including the interception of communications and undercover operations. He said measures to combat international networks must be specifically defined by law. The most recent partial revision, in 2017, gave judges discretion to apply mitigating circumstances in certain drug-use cases while maintaining severe penalties for couriers and traffickers.
The official also called international cooperation with neighbouring countries important to tackling trafficking, citing joint investigations and information exchanges under bilateral and international agreements. He said Tunisia’s Mediterranean and North African location, as well as its proximity to Europe, places it at the crossroads of major trafficking routes, with drugs entering by sea, air and land.
Chaibi reported that drug-related cases rose to 15,000 in 2025 from around 5,000 in 2020, while arrests involving couriers, traffickers and users increased to around 27,000 from approximately 10,000. He also cited growing cocaine seizures and the proliferation of narcotic tablets. In September 2025, authorities at Rades port seized around 12 million narcotic tablets in a container arriving from a European country, described as the country’s largest such interception.
He said the response should combine controlling supply with reducing demand. Security services are responsible for enforcing the law and protecting borders, while families, schools, media and civil-society structures have roles in awareness efforts. The Ministry of Family, Women, Children and the Elderly began the first phase of a national awareness programme on September 10 with other ministries, public media outlets, partner organisations and associations.
