Swaziland Sees Increase in Drug Trafficking, Decrease in Gun-Running

INTERNATIONAL February 1995

Drug enforcement officials in the African country of Swaziland say that drug-running and incidents drug-related of violent crime have increased in the small kingdom (Marius Bosch, "Crime, Drug-Running Increasing," CJ International, Sept./Oct. 1994, p. 21).

Swaziland Police Superintendent Azaria Ndzimandze said that drug smugglers use their country to run Mandrax and cocaine between South Africa and Mozambique. Traffickers hide out in Swaziland because of lenient penalties for smuggling.

He said that while the smuggling of drugs has continued unabated, the once-booming business of gun-running to South Africa has dwindled. "Through what we are observing now, seemingly there is a decrease because the people in South Africa have reorganized themselves," he said. "Peace is somehow prevailing so the demand for weapons of war is on the decrease."

He also said that the violent crime rate in Swaziland has skyrocketed, with at least three armed holdups of motorists a week. Two years ago, Swaziland had little violent crime.