In just a couple of months, there have been three instances of Maltese persons being locked up abroad for attempting to smuggle drugs into Malta.
A Maltese man was banged up in Libya, another Maltese was nabbed in a joint operation by the US and Brazil, and now, only lately, two Maltese youngsters have been arrested in Tunisia.
This is not the first time that it has happened, and one must always bear in mind that there have been other internationally co-ordinated efforts to arrest Maltese nationals who were attempting to smuggle drugs into the country.
It should be incentive enough. If you put it all into context, Malta is a relatively open and modern European country. Yet, the punishment for running drugs is harsh – very harsh. These punishments, though decreasing with time, are still a very effective deterrent. Virtually anyone in Malta will agree to the assertion that you have to be mad to get yourself involved in drug pedalling.
In addition, the plights of those who have been caught have now become the stuff of documentaries which are broadcast on some of the major networks.
It has also become common to hear of various such attempts in the international news... people arrested in Thailand, China, Pakistan, Brazil, Colombia... the list goes on and on. In other words, it is common knowledge that you face severe repercussions if you get involved in cross-border drug trafficking.
Of course, we are not attempting to prejudge anyone or anything, but the message must get out there loud and clear. Malta does not deal lightly with drugs. Malta is a recipient state, drugs are not made locally. The laws of most countries where drugs are the last point of transfer to Europe, or the source country, tend to have laws which are even harsher than ours. The rights of prisoners are not of the level which is enjoyed here either.
We are not talking of privacy issues or whatnot, we are talking of overcrowding in cells, violence, sanitary conditions... the list goes on and on. The message is simple... whatever the financial (or status) gain one can make from organising drug runs, or taking an active part in them, is simply not worth the consequences which such activities carry with them.
People who enter into such risky behaviour are foolish and naive – blinded by the profit one can make at the expense of society. Like it or not, the issue of drug abuse has become common in our society. Only a decade or so ago, it was considered to be an ‘event’ if a few grams of this and that were seized, or a few pills were destroyed. Nowadays, we talk of kilos of drugs being burnt, or a few thousand pills being disposed of. The supply is there – as is the variety.
The older generation cannot even keep up with the myriad names of substances that are being abused – crystal meth, LSD, heroin, cocaine, meow meow and many, many more. The authorities will never win the fight against clandestine exports or imports of narcotics. As with every crime, you stop one and another sprouts up to take his place. But penalties must remain stiff. The day we accept drugs as being the norm is the day on which we give up.