Modern transnational criminal networks are run like a business enterprise and also require funding, members, premises, and equipment to operate. These groups find ways to supply illicit goods and services while navigating the risks posed by law enforcement. Advanced analytical techniques can help government agencies to better detect, investigate and disrupt these transnational criminal networks and their financial infrastructure.
With this in view, the UNODC Passenger and Cargo Border Team (PCBT) and Global Programme on Criminal Network Disruption (GPCD) have jointly delivered a four-day training on 21-24 May 2024 in Tashkent, Uzbekistan, aimed at strengthening the capacity of countries along the main drug trafficking routes to introduce a systematic approach to combatting organised crime by identifying and disrupting drug trafficking networks.
The training, led by UNODC experts, brought together 31 practitioners from Customs Services and Prosecutor`s Offices of Azerbaijan, Georgia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Pakistan, Turkmenistan, Ukraine, and Uzbekistan, engaged in PCBT’s Inter-Regional Network of Customs Authorities and Port Control Units (IREN) and GPCD’s Judicial Cooperation Network for Central Asia and Southern Caucasus (CASC).
In his opening remarks, Sardor Atashikov, PCBT Regional Programme Coordinator for Central Asia emphasized that drug trafficking across borders remains amongst the most prominent challenges globally, whereby legal international trade and transport corridors and infrastructure are used for illicit purposes. The PCBT is uniquely placed to assist member states through bringing expertise and international best practice and facilitating the cooperation among border management bodies on strategic and practical matters. Sardor Atashikov stressed that a record number of data and alert message exchanges on high-risk shipments, made by IREN countries with tangible seizure results demonstrates significant progress in both mutual trust and practicality of this framework. In this regard, he thanked the Governments of Japan and the United States for making this event possible through a generous financial support.
Ms. Takita-Sato Tae, First Secretary, Embassy of Japan in the Republic of Uzbekistan in her welcoming remarks emphasized that to effectively cope with these challenges, joint efforts to address the potential risks and threats to regional security are required more than ever. In this regard, Ms. Takita-Sato Tae stated that the Government of Japan has long supported the efforts on fight against drug trafficking and cross-border organized crime in the countries neighbouring Afghanistan, in cooperation with the national authorities and UNODC.
Based on country- and region-specific scenarios, the training course included sessions on criminal networks analysis based on agenda topics. Practical exercises highlighting specific instruments and techniques provided participants with an opportunity to apply various analytical techniques as a complement to current traditional and specialist investigation methods. The course emphasized the key role of interagency cooperation in countering illicit trafficking networks.
The analytical approaches applied at the training course were fed by practices of academia, industry, and other disciplines and have been tailored to be accessible and easily applied to the existing context of work. This initial course has been envisioned to pave the way for an extensive capacity-building program for IREN and CASC networks, ensuring a focus on operational impact and applied to countering all forms of illicit trafficking.
