Tunis — Tunisia is preparing to revise its narcotics law, in force since 1992, with the aim of developing tools to combat smuggling and dismantle organised crime networks whose activities have evolved at the local, regional and international levels, particularly through the use of modern communication technologies.
Mohamed Ali Chaibi, head of the Narcotics Control Service at the Judicial Police Directorate in El Gorjani, said the Interior Ministry is currently working on revising Law No. 52 of 1992, dated May 18, 1992, on narcotics, due to the evolution of drug-related crime.
"We are advocating new mechanisms that would allow networks to be dismantled and the use of methods for intercepting communications and conducting undercover operations," Chaibi said in media statements in response to a question about the proposed amendments.
"With the evolution of crime and the use of modern technologies, mechanisms to combat and dismantle international networks require specific measures defined by law," he added.
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He recalled that the last "partial" revision of the narcotics law dates back to 2017. It granted judges discretionary powers to apply mitigating circumstances provided for under Article 53 of the Penal Code in certain drug-use cases, while maintaining severe penalties for couriers and traffickers.
Before the amendment, the law prevented courts from reducing the sentence below one year in prison for first-time drug users, he said. According to legal experts, the law contributed to "destroying the future" of many young people who had used drugs, even cannabis, only once.
Drug trafficking "by sea, air and land"
Chaibi also stressed the importance of international cooperation, particularly with neighbouring countries, in combating drug trafficking through "joint investigations" and the "exchange of information on international networks," within the framework of bilateral and international agreements.
He said Tunisia "is located at the crossroads of major drug-trafficking routes" due to its geographical position in the Mediterranean and North Africa and its proximity to Europe, noting that drugs enter the country "by sea, air and land."
The official added that "large quantities of cocaine and ecstasy," a synthetic drug that directly affects the nervous system, are brought into Tunisia through the border with Libya.
He said Libya, due to the deterioration of the security situation since 2011, has become "a storage area for different types of drugs," including cocaine, heroin and tablets, particularly in areas controlled by armed militias.
He added that these findings are consistent with a report published by the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) in January 2025, entitled "Drug Trafficking Dynamics in Libya and North Africa: Trends and Impacts."
According to the head of the Narcotics Control Service, the sale of ecstasy has developed mainly in entertainment venues, due to Tunisia's tourism sector and its young population.
He noted that "Lyrica" tablets, the trade name for Pregabalin, a prescription medicine used to treat nerve pain, epilepsy and anxiety disorders, are brought from India to Algeria via Turkey, Libya and Tunisia.
"When one million tablets of these drugs transit through Tunisia, 100,000 remain in Tunisia, and when 10 million tablets pass through, one million remain in the country," he said.
"Thus, a market for Lyrica tablets has been created in Tunisia," he added.
Tunisians and "Africans" in trafficking networks
Chaibi said Tunisia has no culture, production or manufacturing of narcotics, which are brought into the country exclusively through trafficking.
He highlighted the involvement of Tunisian freight carriers transporting goods between Europe and Tunisia in trafficking operations, apart from a few individuals belonging to the "African" community living in Tunisia.
He said "the drug phenomenon has become organised crime par excellence, particularly in France and across the European space."
He reported an increase in cocaine seizures in Tunisia over the past five years, as well as "the proliferation of narcotic tablets," noting that seizures had not exceeded around 60,000 tablets in 2020 before increasing significantly.
In September 2025, authorities at the port of Rades seized a shipment of around 12 million narcotic tablets in a container arriving from a European country. It was the largest interception of smuggled narcotic tablets in the country's history.
He noted that the number of drug-related cases rose to 15,000 in 2025, from around 5,000 in 2020, while the number of arrests, involving couriers, traffickers and users, increased to around 27,000 from approximately 10,000 over the same period.
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Fighting narcotics: "Controlling supply and reducing demand"
Chaibi added that combating and preventing drug use requires an approach based on "controlling supply and reducing demand."
He explained that supply control falls under the responsibility of security services, which are tasked with enforcing the law and protecting the borders, while reducing demand requires a participatory approach to raising awareness of the dangers of narcotics, particularly through families, educational institutions, the media and various civil-society structures.
Chaibi stressed that the law would apply to anyone falling under the scope of the narcotics law, "regardless of their position, status or social rank," including those working in state institutions.
The Ministry of Family, Women, Children and the Elderly began implementing the first phase of a national awareness programme on preventing risks linked to narcotics networks on September 10, in cooperation with several other ministries, public media outlets, partner organisations and associations.
