What is the Criminal Justice Task Force (CJTF)?
The Criminal Justice Task Force (CJTF) was set up as an end to end, Afghan process to bring to justice those involved in serious narco-crime within Afghanistan. It was set up by the Government of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan in May 2005 and has a mandate through the Counter Narcotics law to investigate and prosecute all serious drug-related offences from across the country. The CJTF was the first example of such a process in Afghanistan, and achieves its aims by co-locating secondees from the Supreme Court, the Office of the Attorney General, the Ministry of the Interior and the Ministry of Justice in one secure location. 

The Legal Basis of the Central Narcotics Tribunal:
The Central Narcotics Tribunal (CNT) is a key element of the CJTF like all parts of the Task Force, and is mandated under Article 34 of the Counter Narcotics Law. The 14 judges of the tribunal undertake their work as part of the CJTF, and Article 34 of the Counter Narcotics Law gives the prosecutors and judges jurisdiction over cases involving:

Two or more Kgs of Heroin

10 or more Kgs of Opium

50 or over Kgs of Hashish and Chemical Precursors

Criminal offences connected or related to drug trafficking offences, such as drug related corruption

Our Strategy:
The government of Afghanistan is committed to disrupting and injecting risk into the Narcotics industry, and the CJTF supports the National Drug Control Strategy. This is especially important in light of the narcotics industry’s links to the insurgency – a recent UN report indicated that up to £100million a year is diverted from the drugs trade to the insurgency. The CJTF supports this through our strategy of:

Helping bring down the drug trafficking networks operating in Afghanistan, through the rigorous and fair application of the law – specifically the Counter Narcotics law

Improving co-ordination between related institutions, in the centre and provinces, and so creating a coherent counter narcotics law enforcement and criminal justice system

Continually improving the professionalism and capacity of the CJTF, as it investigates and prosecutes drug traffickers from all around the country

The values of the CJTF:

To ensure standards and professionalism are maintained during investigation, prosecution and trial, based on internationally recognised good ethical practices.

To ensure proceedings are transparent and conform to due process, and the rights of suspects are observed including the right to defence representation and the right to appeal.

International Support:
The CJTF is an Afghan led organisation, which continues to be supported by a range of international donors. These include the UK, US, Norway. In April 2009 the CJTF moved to the brand-new Counter Narcotics Justice Centre. This $12million facility was funded by the US, who continue to support the operation and maintenance of the facility. The UK have invested over $10m on administrative, logistical, security, mentoring and staffing costs and Norway continues to provide mentoring assistance.

How does the CJTF operate?
The CJTF provides a transparent, joined up judicial process, where cases arriving from the Counter Narcotics Police of Afghanistan (CNPA) and other Law Enforcement organisations (LEOs) are developed with great skill and bravery, in an environment free from undue external influence. Within this, cases are developed and tracked through investigation by CNPA officers, prosecution by secondees from the Office of the Attorney General and to trial at the Central Narcotics Tribunal. This model helps ensure that significant actors in the national and international drugs trade are no longer able to act with impunity and its success is reflected in the new ‘end to end’ structure for dealing with Major Crimes here.

Achievements:
The CJTF has secured over 1000 convictions for narcotics offences since it was established in 2005, of which 355 convictions were secured in Islamic year 1387. These cases involved almost four tonnes of heroin, over 67 tonnes of opium and over 350 tonnes of Hashish. The CJTF increasingly shows its ability to bring to justice those involved in serious drugs offences within Afghanistan, and recent landmark cases show that even those at the top of the industry are not immune from investigation and prosecution.  In late 2009, the head of Afghanistan’s third largest drug trafficking ring was brought to justice. He and his ten associates were all convicted to sentences of up to 20 years in prison. A number of government officials with links to the drugs trade have also been successfully prosecuted by the CJTF.

The Future:
The bravery and integrity of those working at the CJTF continues to inject serious risk into involvement in the narcotics industry in Afghanistan. The danger faced by those working at the CJTF was brought home tragically when Chief Judge Halim Hanif was gunned down outside his house in September 2008. Despite this setback, the CJTF continues to investigate and prosecute those involved in the narcotics industry, challenging those who think Afghanistan can again be a safe haven for drugs.