Interagency, Interregional Law Enforcement Cooperation Will Save Lives From Illegal Drugs Trafficked Through Central Asian Countries

The UNODC Programme Office in the Kyrgyz Republic conducted number of events and interviews in local media devoted to the International Day Against Drug Abuse and Illicit Trafficking which is marked annually on 26 June. UNODC now offers an interview with Mr. Pavel Pudov who explains the ways of Combating illicit drug trafficking by law enforcement officers in Kyrgyzstan with the use of controlled delivery method.

QUESTION: What role does UNODC play in the training and qualification of competent authorities to counter illicit drug trafficking?

ANSWER: The UN Office on Drugs and Crime as a whole is a coordinator in combatting drug trafficking, the Office is constantly working to improve the mechanisms of interaction between intergovernmental structures working in this area. UNODC constantly monitors the criminal situation and enforcement of criminal legislation in different regions of the world and particular states. Based on the monitoring results, relevant recommendations are made to improve the legislation, technical equipment is provided to Law Enforcement Agencies, and qualified personnel is trained.

 In accordance with the provisions of international law and the recommendations of the UN anti-drug bodies, the Kyrgyz Republic implements the principles of a comprehensive and balanced approach to address drug-related problems. 

In this regard, in order to build competence and further use in service activities in the units implementing the state policy in the field of trafficking drugs, psychotropic substances, and precursors, as well as combating their illicit trafficking, UNODC, and namely directly the UNODC Program Office in the Kyrgyz Republic organize courses and training to study the organizational and tactical foundations of combating illicit drug trafficking.

 

QUESTION: Tell us about the conditions of conducting controlled delivery on the territory of the Customs Union of the European Economic Community, taking into account the new realities?

ANSWER: At present, the normative and legal framework existing after the establishment of the EEU Customs Union differs from the previous one. The fundamental difference is that the mechanism of customs relations' normative and legal regulation includes mutually subordinate systems. This is the legislation of the Customs Union and national legislation on customs regulation of the Customs Union members. Legal norms providing for the possibility of controlled delivery as the most effective method of combating drug smuggling were not reflected in the Customs Code of the Customs Union.

 The Customs legislation of the Customs Union has priority over national laws on customs and applies to the entire customs territory. Due to the adoption of the Customs Code of the Customs Union, the Customs Code of the Kyrgyz Republic, which partially regulated the issues of controlled delivery, was abolished. 

 Despite the unity of the customs territory of the Customs Union, the subjects of operational and search activities are forced to limit themselves in conducting controlled delivery based on their respective legislation and applying features of the method in their territory, as well as solve other problems of combating crime in the process of interaction.

 In this regard, in the opinion of some experts, the Customs Code of the Customs Union should be amended and supplemented. Therefore it is necessary to provide articles that will regulate a single mechanism of controlled delivery of drugs.

 

QUESTION: What are the controlled delivery's specific features, tactics, problems, and possible ways to solve them?

 ANSWER: This measure has no analogs among investigative and other procedural actions. It is purely investigative since controlled delivery is not a direct way of obtaining information necessary for the competent authority. Therefore it isn't easy to recognize controlled delivery as an ordinary event in terms of its content, as it may include a whole set of measures. 

More specifically, during the controlled delivery, there is a possibility to interview persons who are aware of the goods being trafficked, make inquiries about the documentary registration of cargo, collect samples, to carry out all kinds of control and surveillance over the movement of the controlled object, to tap the telephone conversations of participants of the illegal operation, etc. 

 In this respect, a controlled delivery can be considered a special operation or organizational and tactical complex of activities agreed on the purpose, place, and time for obtaining information and effectively solving problems of identification, termination, inquiry, and investigation of related crimes to illicit drug trafficking.

 Controlled delivery of drugs is linked to compliance with a number of organizational features, requirements, tactics, and sequence of measures taken. All of these issues were addressed during the training conducted by the UN Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC).

 INTERVIEW IN RUSSIAN LANGUAGE 

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Interview was conducted by Vasilina Brazhko, Communication and PR Specialist

at UNODC Criminal Justice and PVE Programmes in Central Asia and UNODC PO in the Kyrgyz Republic.