Asylum claims and drug offences: the seriousness threshold of Article 1F(b) of the 1951 Convention relating to the status of refugees and the UN Drug Conventions

The present paper looks at the case of Colombia to illustrate the scope and complexity of the drug business in major drug-producing countries, and how it relates to asylum. In this regard, the article outlines the different criminal responsibilities of persons involved in the narcotics industry along the chain of commercialisation. It examines the applicability of the exclusion clauses enshrined in Article 1F of the 1951 Convention to drug offences committed by asylum-seekers. The paper also looks at the proportionality aspect of the analysis and suggests criteria for defining the seriousness threshold for drug offences.