Tunisia: Tunisia Set to Revise 1992 Narcotics Law to Strengthen Fight Against Smuggling and Organised Crime

What the report says

Tunisia is preparing to update its narcotics law, which has been in force since 1992, in response to changes in drug smuggling and organised crime, according to Tunis Afrique Presse via AllAfrica. The report says the Interior Ministry is working on revisions to Law No. 52 of 1992 to give authorities more tools against trafficking networks that now operate locally, regionally and internationally, including through modern communications.

Mohamed Ali Chaibi, head of the Narcotics Control Service at the Judicial Police Directorate in El Gorjani, said the proposed changes would support measures such as intercepting communications and using undercover operations, within limits set by law. He also pointed to the need for closer cooperation with neighbouring countries and other partners through joint investigations and information-sharing, as drug flows are said to move into Tunisia by sea, air and land.

The article places the debate in the context of rising seizures and cases in recent years. It says Tunisia’s last partial revision of the law came in 2017, and that authorities have since seen an increase in drug-related offences and arrests. The report also notes a major seizure in September 2025 at the port of Rades, where officials intercepted a large shipment of narcotic tablets.

More broadly, the piece reflects Tunisia’s effort to balance enforcement against trafficking with prevention and public awareness, including campaigns led by the Ministry of Family and other institutions. Background information included in the report suggests the country’s location on Mediterranean trafficking routes makes regional coordination an important part of any response.