Libya

Libya is a North African dictatorship, ruled by Muammar al-Gaddafi since 1969. Libya borders Algeria and Tunisia to the west, Niger and Chad to the south, Sudan to the southeast, Egypt to the east, and the Mediterranean Sea to the north. Most of the population is concentrated in cities, with nearly 90 percent of Libyans living in either Tripoli or Benghazi, leaving the rural areas especially sparsely populated.

The Libyan economy is heavily dependent on oil revenues, which constitute about a quarter of the gross domestic product. The next largest sector of the economy is the production of manufacturing materials like petrochemicals and metals. Poor soil and water access limit agricultural possibilities, and Libya imports most of its food. It also means drug production in the country is negligible, and illicit drugs must be imported by cartels.

The government takes a harsh stance on drug trafficking, setting up the General Administration for Drug Control within the Ministry of the Interior for dealing with both drug trafficking and domestic drug use. Libya's location would make it a convenient transit point for trafficking drugs [Page 470]into Egypt, but it is not clear how frequently this occurs. Libya rarely makes available hard data on domestic matters, like the seizure of trafficked drugs. Similarly, outsiders can only guess at the extent of drug use in the country. Treatment facilities are rare and underfunded when they do exist. Heroin, hashish, and prescription drugs are known to be used recreationally in Libya's urban areas, but the extent of usage and the number of addicts is completely unknown.

Libya did agree in 2004 to expand its cooperation with the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), which began with a two-day visit by the UNODC's executive director, who toured Libya's detention facilities and treatment centers used for drug criminals, after which he met with bureaucrats in Tripoli. Libya is a party to all United Nations conventions on narcotics, as well as the treaties on organized crime and international terrorism, but has had little participation in the international effort to combat drug trafficking.

What it may or may not do within its own borders is unclear, and it has shared very little information that could help other countries map drug routes and trace the path of narcotics product through the world. UNODC did provide Libya with both equipment and financial assistance for its border controls, forensic laboratories, and drug treatment centers. Furthermore, the National Postal and Telecommunications Authority in Libya agreed to begin a special program designed to strengthen postal inspection systems in order to catch drugs and cash passing through the mails.