Towards a more effective counter-drugs regime in the Indian Ocean. Issue 1 (2nd January 2016)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: McLaughlin, Rob
• Is Part Of: Journal of the Indian Ocean region. Volume 12:Issue 1(2016)
• Page Start: 24
• Page End: 38
• Publication Date: 2016-01-02
• Subjects: Maritime drugs trafficking -- maritime law enforcement; Indian Ocean Region -- Politics and government -- Periodicals; Indian Ocean Region -- Strategic aspects -- Periodicals; Indian Ocean Region -- Periodicals; Politics and government; Strategic aspects of individual places; Indian Ocean Region; Periodicals; 320.91824
• DOI: 10.1080/19480881.2016.1138710
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 1948-108X

Abstract

ABSTRACT: Use of the Indian Ocean as a major drugs trafficking route – particularly for heroin originating in Afghanistan – poses a maritime security and a maritime law enforcement challenge. This article seeks to explore one dimension of this challenge – the lack of a 'legal finish' (such as prosecution) for the majority of drug seizures made within international waters in the Indian Ocean region. The article proposes three possible avenues towards improved outcomes: Formally combining the issues of terrorism and terrorist financing in Afghanistan with Indian Ocean heroin trafficking, in order to better leverage existing authorisations relating to the former; taking a more robust approach to asserting follow-on jurisdiction over unflagged vessels; and better utilisation of existing obligations, mechanisms and networks in order to achieve improved interdiction rates over flagged vessels.