A group of agents from the National Drugs Enforcement Agency (NDEA), the Marine Police Unit and the Seychelles Coast Guard (SCG) are following two days of in-depth training to increase their knowledge of the dhow, its different compartments and possible hiding places.
The objective of such a training is to ensure these law enforcement agents are better prepared and are more knowledgeable when conducting open seas operations which involve searching such vessels for drugs as well as contraband goods.
The training includes theory sessions as well as practical; the latter will take place on an Iranian dhow berthed at the Bois de Rose jetty.
The dhow, which was intercepted and seized by local law enforcement authorities last year, had concealed in its different compartments, a large consignment of drugs.
The NDEA chief executive Kishnan Labonte opened the training yesterday morning at the REFLECS 3 headquarters at the former Coast Guard Base on Bois De Rose Avenue. This was in the presence of the Minister for Home Affairs Mitcy Larue, the commissioner of police Reginald Elizabeth, key officials from the Seychelles Defence Forces, the SCG as well as a team of agents specialists in their field, from the US Naval Criminal Investigative Service (NCIS) who are conducting the training.
Addressing everyone present Mr Labonte said a recent incident in the Indian Ocean and in our waters has prompted the need for such a training.
“A dhow was shadowed and tracked until she had reached our waters where the SCG and the NDEA personnel intervened. They boarded the vessel as it was suspected of being used for shipment and transshipment of illegal cargoes which may include narcotics,” Mr Labonte pointed out.
He noted that even though the search yielded no find of any narcotic substances, it was obvious that apart from her crew the vessel carried no tourists, it was not on a fishing trip either as no fishing equipment nor any stock of ice to preserve its catch were found on board.
“It may be possible it was on a dry run and trying to test the vigilance of our maritime forces as such dhows are known to engage in illegal activities,” Mr Labonte said, urging the agents to make the most of the training to know more about these vessels that plow our ocean.
“I urge you all to give your best and get the maximum benefit from the course as it is only through training and retraining that a person is able to become skilled and thus discharge his duties professionally,” Mr Labonte told the agents.
He noted that this is the first training that the US embassy in Mauritius, one of the NDEA’s foreign partners, organises since the change of management at the NDEA.
He noted that other avenues of training and cooperation to enhance capacity of NDEA agents are being explored.
