The Drug Situation Over the Past 30 Years - Ally Lazer: "From Bad to Worse"

With 40 years of experience in the fight against drug trafficking, tireless social worker Ally Lazer describes the ongoing ravages of drugs in the country. According to him, the situation has worsened over the past 30 years, particularly with the influx of synthetic drugs. "Consumers are becoming living corpses, zombies. In the past, it was said that there would be a graduate in every household. It’s not far off now to say that there is a drug user in every home, with the youth and women increasingly becoming consumers," Ally Lazer bluntly states.

This grassroots man laments the sale and free circulation of drugs throughout the country. "Drugs are sold like bread. We know the price of clothes and vegetables, but now there is a market for drugs, as if they have a license to sell them," he emphasizes. He adds, "Thirty years ago, there were specific places where drugs were sold. Today, there is no place on the island that is spared; drugs are rampant across Mauritius." He has repeatedly raised the alarm to denounce this ongoing situation: "For quite some time, I have been saying that the drug mafia has taken our country hostage."

In light of the rapid proliferation of drug trafficking throughout the country, Ally Lazer calls for tough and urgent measures against traffickers. "Why don’t we take all the SMF, SSU, GIPM officers with their helicopters and land at the drug traffickers? Will they have time to beat up police officers? There needs to be a genuine will to do this," he stresses. He also highlights that one of the main obstacles the authorities face in combatting drug trafficking is corruption.

Ally Lazer shares that 30 years ago, during the first edition of Défi Plus, he received support from the group in his noble fight against drug trafficking. "Since the first weekend of the creation of Le Defi, I remember there was a church function in Pointe aux Sables. For the first time, people saw a journalist from Le Defi with a microphone while I was speaking. Le Defi Plus encouraged me in my fight. I wish for the longevity of Le Defi Plus," he recounts.