NCJ Number
160752
Date Published
1995
Length
13 pages
Annotation
This chapter profiles the United Nations Convention and British legislation against illicit drug trafficking, considers the Drug Trafficking Act 1994 and related acts, reviews the acts and conventions in practice, and explains the European Economic Council's money laundering directive.
Abstract
International cooperation against drug trafficking and in facilitating the confiscation of its proceeds took a significant step forward in December 1988 with the adoption of the United Nations Convention against the Illicit Traffic in Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances. Parties to the Convention are required under Articles three and five to establish criminal offenses relating to money laundering; take legal powers to enable its authorities to trace, freeze, and confiscate the proceeds of drug trafficking; and cooperate in giving effect to restraint and confiscation orders made by the competent authorities of other parties. Having ratified the Convention, the United Kingdom enacted legislation to meet the requirements not covered already under British law with the Drug Trafficking Act 1994, the Criminal Justice (Scotland) Act 1987, and the Criminal Justice (Confiscation) (Northern Ireland) Order 1990. More recently, the Criminal Justice Act 1993 added the new offense of failing to report suspicions of money laundering as well as that of laundering the proceeds of non-drug trafficking crime. In June 1991 the european Economic Council adopted a directive on the prevention of the use of the financial system for money laundering purposes. Member states were required to implement the directive by January 1, 1993.