The Seychelles: trouble in Paradise
The Indian Ocean archipelago has the highest per capita heroin-use rate in the world
Flick through the holiday brochures packed with gorgeous images or hear of the celebs who have flocked to the tropical island nation of The Seychelles - for example Prince William and Princess Kate, George Clooney and Amal Alamuddin, and Brad Pitt and Jennifer Aniston - and the persistent images of sun-kissed empty beaches and turquoise waters conjure up an idea of absolute paradise.
The 115-island nation is undoubtedly a lovely place for a holiday, however it harbours considerable problems. Of course, like many parts of the world, it is increasingly affected by climate change. The World Bank Climate Knowledge portal notes that ‘the principal climate change threats facing Seychelles are similar to those threatening other small island developing states: changes in rainfall patterns leading to flooding, landslides on one hand and extended periods of drought on the other, increases in sea temperature, changes in acidity and damage to marine ecosystems, increases in storms and storm surges, and sea level rise during the longer term.’
When I visited the archipelago it was certainly delightful to sip cocktails on the beach as the sun went down as reggae - as well as seggae, a local blend of reggae with sega, a type of music originating amongst the slave populations of Reunion and Mauritius before spreading to Indian Ocean islands including the Seychelles - played in the background. You can explore nature sanctuaries, historical sites and cultural villages, and there are culinary adventures, aquatic activities and hiking trails aplenty.
Against a backdrop like this, it was quite shocking to then find that The World Drug Report 2022 from the United Nations Office of Drugs and Crime identified The Seychelles as having the highest national per capita heroin-use rate in the world. On top of that, cannabis, crack cocaine and crystal meth use are also steadily rising. The island state has also been experiencing an increase in the number of sex workers as well as HIV/AIDS and hepatitis C transmission.
From 2011 to 2019 heroin use more than quadrupled, with the estimated number of users rising from 1,200 to around 6,000 - from a population of around 100,000 - which means that almost 10% of the country’s working-age population is dependent on the drug. It has become such a problem that foreign workers are having to be sourced to do the the jobs drug-dependent locals cannot.
There are various reasons for this rise in heroin use, such as well-established trafficking routes from Afghanistan and Iran to East Africa and Europe crossing the Seychelles. In addition, there was a rise in new trafficking routes through East Africa in the late 2000s, and with 600km of coastline, importation of drugs is easily penetrable. Also, the Seychellois have relatively high purchasing power: thanks to the booming tourism industry, the World Bank considers the Seychelles to be the only high-income country on the African continent. Drugs are usually sold out of improvised ‘shops’ at the rear of people's homes in the numerous ghetto areas.
The Government has responded to the catastrophic rise in drug use by founding an Anti-Narcotics Bureau in 2018, which has stronger powers than the National Drug Enforcement Agency, which it replaced. Additionally, it has instigated a van to travel daily around the capital, Victoria, on Mahé island, dispensing methadone to addicted residents, who come from all walks of life. However there is little extra detox support or counselling provided.
It also incorporated stricter sentencing in the Misuse of Drugs Act, 2016, with a maximum penalty for drug trafficking being life imprisonment for a Class A drug such as heroin or cocaine, and 50 years imprisonment for what it defines a Class B drug, such as cannabis.
Despite these initiatives, it seems pretty clear, sadly, that the drug problem is so deeply entrenched in the Seychelles, it is going to take a very long time for there to be drastic improvements.