drug trafficking, he will, for the benefit of the House, obtain information as to whether the sea passages a…
(No. B/822) Mr S. Jugurnauth (Second Member for Savanne & Black River) asked the Prime Minister, Minister of Defence, Home Affairs and External Communications, Minister of Finance, Minister for Rodrigues and Outer Islands whether, in regard to drug trafficking, he will, for the benefit of the House, obtain information as to whether the sea passages along the southwest and western coasts are guarded against activities connected therewith – (a) indicating whether the authorities are equipped with new equipment therefor, and (b) giving details of recent successful operations carried out thereat.
Reply: I am informed by the Commissioner of Police that there are 17 sea passages which are located along the South West and West Coasts. These sea passages are policed by the National Coast Guard through seaward and surveillance patrols, at three different layers – (i) the First Layer of Surveillance - Coastline to Reefs through foot/bike/mobile and afloat patrols; (ii) the Second Layer of Surveillance - Reefs to Territorial Limits through inshore patrol boats/vessels, enhanced with joint helicopter surveillance, and (iii) the Third Layer of Surveillance - Beyond Territorial Limits through patrols by ships, aircraft, the Maritime Intelligence Cell, the National Coast Guard Operations Room, the National Maritime Information Sharing Centre and the Coastal Surveillance and Radar System. With regard to part (a) of the question, the existing Coastal Surveillance and Radar System will be replaced by a new and sophisticated system from Japan which will provide better images of boats and vessels manoeuvring in our territorial waters and is expected to be fully operational by December 2026. In addition, a new multipurpose offshore patrol vessel is being acquired under an Indian line of credit and seven speed boats will be purchased during Financial Year 2025-2026 with a view to enhancing the operational capabilities of the National Coast Guard to patrol our waters. With regard to part (b) of the question, I am informed by the Commissioner of Police that 22 drug cases, for a street value of around Rs1.35 billion, have been detected by the
138 Mauritius Police Force along the South West and West coasts from 2020 to 02 October 2025, and 65 suspects have been arrested. I wish to inform the House that two Regional Centres have been set up: one in Madagascar (Regional Maritime Information Fusion Centre) and one in Seychelles (Regional Centre for Operational Coordination) under the Maritime Security Programme of the Indian Ocean Commission. The Maritime Security programme has been replaced by the Safe Seas Africa since June 2024. Two senior Police officers from the National Coast Guard have been designated to act as International Liaison Officers and to share intelligence with the National Coast Guard Maritime Intelligence Cell on the movements of suspicious vessels/illegal activities in the Indian Ocean region. ELECTORAL SYSTEM – DECLARATION OF COMMUNITY – PROPOSED AMENDMENT