Algeria to open desert prison for drug traffickers in Tanezrouft

Algeria announced Wednesday it will convert a military barracks in the hostile Tanezrouft desert into a high-security prison for drug traffickers, following a Security Council meeting led by President Abdelmadjid Tebboune. The facility will hold "drug barons and traffickers," according to a presidency statement, which provided no further details. Authorities also decided to create a specialized anti-drug security agency modeled on agencies like the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration. The move comes amid rising warnings about drug trafficking in the country of nearly 46 million people. Algeria reported over three million drug addicts in 2024 and announced a record seizure of pregabalin capsules and cocaine on August 21. Tanezrouft, near the Mali border, is a nearly uninhabited desert where summer temperatures exceed 50°C.