Precursor Chemical Trade Environment in Oceania

• NCJ Number: 226083
• Author(s): Rob McCusker
• Date Published: 2008
• Length: 122 pages
• Sale Source: Australian Institute of Criminology
• Publication Format: Book (Softbound)
• Publication Type: Report (Study/Research)
• Language: English
• Country: Australia
• Note: Research and Public Policy Series No. 96

Annotation

This report describes the manufacture and use of, and trade in, chemicals, in the Oceania region that can be used to produce illicit drugs, called precursor chemicals, explores border management and control of precursor chemicals, and analyzes legislation and regional capacity to respond.

Abstract

The lack of the majority of the Pacific Island nations to incorporate the three United Nations narcotics and/or psychotropic drug conventions within their domestic legislation and therefore, drug enforcement framework renders the Oceania region as a whole ripe for invasion by criminal groups seeking to divert precursor chemicals for use in illicit drug manufacture. The noted vulnerability of the region to transnational crime incursion necessitates consideration of the potential movement of precursors toward island nations. In addressing border management in the actual trade in precursor chemicals, Pacific Islands’ authorities must incorporate the principle of risk management. The complexity and magnitude of the precursor chemical trade and subsequent illicit drug manufacture infer that the collective efforts of all Pacific Island nations remain a key ingredient in controlling the precursor chemical environment. The ideal solutions are characterized by the provisions of Article 12 of the 1988 Convention that provide a framework for effective control and a series of guidance reference points, facilitating the creation of an effective precursor control strategy. There is a continued press for the ratification of the 1988 Convention and the creation of national legislation to assist with its implementation. The Australian Institute of Criminology was engaged by the Australian Customs Service to undertake a project over 6 months on the precursor chemical trade environment in the Oceania region, the Pacific Islands. The project sought to discover and document the nature and extent of the manufacture, use, trade, and regulation of precursor chemicals that might be diverted for use in the illicit manufacture of drugs within the Oceanic region. Figures, tables, references, and appendix