triple prison conviction marks new era of anti-drug action with INTERPOL
An INTERPOL Incident Response Team (IRT) deployed to Guinea Bissau last September helped local authorities investigate a record 1.8 tonne cocaine seizure where 10 suspects from Colombia, Guinea Bissau and Mali were arrested.The resulting three 14-year prison sentences – a record in Guinea Bissau – coincide with a significant rise in the use of INTERPOL capabilities and anti-drug expertise recently.
“Guinea Bissau’s increased number of cocaine seizures and harsher sentencing over the past 18 months clearly demonstrates that the country will no longer tolerate the international drugs trade using its territory to ship cocaine from Latin America to the rest of the world,” commented Paul Stanfield, INTERPOL's Director for Organized and Emerging Crime.