illicit-trade-wco-2013

30 kg of cannabis resin, concealed under the carpet of a car, seized by Serbian Customs
Photos courtesy of Serbian Customs
of 1,377 tonnes across all countries, the United States
accounted for more than 94 per cent of the total
quantities input into the CEN worldwide.
Most of the seizures were made within United States
territory and, as was the case in previous years, the
majority of the shipments came from Mexico.
The countries which stood out in 2013 by seizing in
excess of 2.5 tonnes of herbal cannabis feature in the
top 10. Spain, India, Malawi and Poland were not included
among the leaders in 2012. Burkina Faso,
Bangladesh, Argentina, Italy and Albania demonstrated
consistency as regards the results achieved
for this category of drug.
As for the source countries featured in the CEN database,
Mexico was the clear leader with 202 tonnes of
Table 8. Top 10 reporting countries: number of
seizures and quantity of herbal cannabis
2012 2013
Country Number of Quantity Number of Quantity
seizures (kg) seizures (kg)
United States 12,823 1,266,376 13,057 1,301,414
Spain 11 1,179 9 17,486
Burkina Faso 45 10,705 56 15,336
Bangladesh 213 9,967 267 10,941
India 1 3,012 6 10,270
Argentina 61 32,766 74 5,919
Italy 196 5,215 1,635 4,934
Albania 40 7,508 55 4,452
Malawi 0 0 2 3,440
Poland 36 188 32 2,771
Total (out of 10) 13,426 1,336,916 15,193 1,376,963
products having left that country and intended almost
exclusively for the United States, following by India (21
tonnes), Ghana (20 tonnes) and Albania (nine tonnes).
Three exceptional seizures made in 2013 are worth
mentioning. The first was an interception by the United
States on 25 July 2013 at Calexico, at the land border
with Mexico. United States Customs and Border
Protection (US CBP) officers seized 15,990 kg of
herbal cannabis concealed in an articulated lorry coming
from Mexico.
The second seizure was made on 23 July 2013 by
Indian Customs at Siliguri, within that country’s territory.
It involved 4,088 kg of herbal cannabis discovered
among a lorry’s load.
The third seizure was made on 23 July 2013 by
Burkinabe Customs officers at Bobo-Dioulasso, within
the territory. The interception involved 1,160 kg of
herbal cannabis transported on bicycles which had
come from Ghana and were bound for Mali.
Turning to cannabis resin, not only the number of interceptions
but also the quantities seized fell substantially
in 2013 in comparison with the previous
year. This fall was in the region of 5 per cent for the
number of interceptions made, and 15 per cent for the
total quantity of cannabis seized in 2013.
It goes without saying that, in keeping with the results
achieved over the past decade, Spain unquestionably
remained the most effective country in terms of
cannabis resin seizures. With a total of 125 tonnes of
products seized in 2013 (an increase in excess of 15
20