Crimeupdated 14m ago2 min read
MapTebboune Warns Algeria May Strike Drug Manufacturers at the Source in Self-Defense
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Tebboune says Algeria faces a 'real war' against drug flooding and may strike production sources. He frames action as legitimate defense and could operate beyond borders to target sources.
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Tebboune’s drug warning
Algerian President Abdelmadjid Tebboune said Algeria may have to go to the source of the manufacture of drugs within the framework of what he described as the right to legitimate self-defense. Tebboune told an audience at the opening ceremony of the 2026-2027 judicial year at the Supreme Court in Algiers that Algeria’s flooding by drugs constitutes a "real war" against its people and its youth.
Tebboune added that terrorism has been harnessed against Algeria and its neighbors, and he said Algeria will protect its lands and neighboring states with the strength of the People's National Army. Tebboune warned that if these practices do not stop, Algeria may be compelled to "invent other methods," while he also cited tightening penalties and the opening of the In Salah prison (Tenzarout).
Self-defense, but no target
Tebboune spoke on Sunday, November 15, at the official opening of the 2026-2027 judicial year held at the Supreme Court headquarters in Algiers, and he did not explicitly name Morocco in the passages devoted to the fight against drugs. Article19.ma said Tebboune’s statements could be interpreted as a warning to countries considered by Algiers as sources of traffic, but it said the remarks did not, by themselves, constitute the announcement of a military operation against Morocco.
TSA Algérie linked Tebboune’s remarks to Morocco by placing the presidential intervention in the context of drug trafficking at Algeria’s borders, while El Khabar highlighted Tebboune’s determination to combat drug trafficking by striking at its sources within the framework of self-defense. Le Figaro said Tebboune warned he would take measures "at the source" against drug manufacturers, and it noted that he did not name Morocco in his speech to the Algerian Supreme Court.
Penalties and prison
Algerian authorities decided to convert a military barracks in the Tenzarout area in the Sahara into a highly secure prison for major drug traffickers and distributors, and they also established an anti-narcotics security authority. Algerian police announced in August the seizure of more than 10 million capsules of pregabalin and more than 33 kilograms of cocaine, and they said they arrested 25 suspects linked to what they called an "international organized network."
The Court of Criminal Affairs at the Council of Algeria issued the first death sentence in drug-trafficking and psychotropic substance cases on October 5, under a law issued on July 1, 2025, according to the official Algerian News Agency. Tebboune also said Algeria has resorted to tightening penalties and approving the death penalty, and he warned that if those practices do not stop, Algeria may be compelled to "invent other methods."