Financial Crimes Commission uncovers serious flaws in Mauritius' dangerous drug import control system
via Le Mauricien2 min read
The Financial Crimes Commission FCC has identified significant vulnerabilities in Mauritius' system for controlling the import of dangerous drugs, warning that these weaknesses could be exploited by criminal networks. The FCC's report, a Financial Crimes Prevention Review, was initiated following allegations of questionable practices surrounding the import and monitoring of strictly controlled medications. The investigation specifically focused on pregabalin, marketed as Pregatas, Nervigen P, and Nervigen NP, which are classified as dangerous drugs due to their potential for abuse. The FCC concluded that the control system is undermined by poor governance, insufficient oversight, and an over-reliance on manual procedures within the Ministry of Health's pharmacology department. Additional issues include inadequate management of import quotas, ineffective monitoring mechanisms, poor traceability, and documentation management that fails to meet transparency and security standards. These dysfunctions, according to the Commission, create opportunities for quota manipulation, irregular authorizations, collusion among stakeholders, document falsification, corruption, bribery, and the diversion of dangerous drugs into illicit channels. The report also highlights that these failures could facilitate the financing of drug trafficking activities. The absence of secure IT systems further compromises authorities' ability to effectively track sensitive products, limiting control, audit, an
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