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Palau Koror – Palau’s Ministry of Justice is actively investigating illegal drug activities, said Palau Vice President and Justice Minister Uduch Sengebau-Senior.
After concerns were raised at the town hall meeting, Senior Vice President provided drug case data. The number of investigations by the Narcotics Enforcement Division has steadily increased, with 22 cases investigated in 2022 and 27 cases investigated in 2023. So far this year, there are 14 drug investigations ongoing.
To strengthen prosecution efforts, the Department of Justice is seeking to recruit more criminal prosecutors with the help of a recently increased budget. “We are encouraged by the fact that the Attorney General’s Office has 10 prosecutor applicants,” said Vice President Senior.
The department is also changing its practices to prioritize the use of search warrants over confidential informants. Deputy Dean Senior, herself a lawyer, stressed the importance of search warrants in building stronger cases, revealing that authorities obtained 15 search warrants in 2021, followed by eight in 2022, 12 in 2023, and seven so far in 2024.
These statistics demonstrate the Department of Justice’s efforts in combating drug trafficking. The ongoing investigations, coupled with stronger evidence obtained through search warrants and potential growth in prosecutorial capacity, signal a strategy to address the influx of illegal drugs into Palau.
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