UNODC and Partners held a simulation training course on " Detecting and investigating financial crimes, suppressing illicit financial flows from drug trafficking " for officers from Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan

The global anti-money laundering agenda includes detecting and investigating financial crimes, suppressing illicit financial flows from drug trafficking, and using analytical tools to improve work efficiency.

In this regard, the UNODC Regional Office in Central Asia and the UNODC Global Programme against money laundering, jointly with the Academy of Law Enforcement Agencies under the General Prosecutor's Office of Kazakhstan (Academy), the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), Central Asian Regional Information and Coordination Centre (CARICC) and the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE), UNODC Programme Office in Astana conducted a five-day international simulation training course on " Detecting and investigating financial crimes, suppressing illicit financial flows from drug trafficking " on 24-28 April 2023. 

Simulated training is an effective type of training which involves the participants in a pre-planned scenario. The scenario prepared for the participants involves schemes for laundering the proceeds of drug-related crime, and the participants, in real-time, communicating with each other, try to uncover all the money laundering schemes of the drug proceeds in the scenario. Participants (22 specialists-practitioners) applied diverse possible law enforcement intelligence and investigative measures, whilst the focus was on financial investigation elements, where the participants must find financial traces and evidence that proceeds are derived from criminal activities related to drug distribution and legalised.

The Chairman of the State Financial Intelligence Service of Kyrgyzstan Mr. Kanat Asangulov noted the importance on the inter-state cooperation in conducting parallel financial investigations and expressed readiness in providing support in organization and scenario development for the simulated training in Kyrgyzstan. Also, he highlighted the possibility for knowledge sharing and experience exchange for establishing interagency cooperation for further successes in combating money laundering.

The representatives of the Agency on Financial Monitoring and the National Security Committee of Kazakhstan, as well as the State Financial Intelligence Service and the Prosecutor's Office of Kyrgyzstan took part in the course. As part of the training, the participants carried out law enforcement intelligence, investigation, submitting procedural instruments and simulating investigation process in conditions and situations as close to real-life as possible. They also practised interaction within inter-agency investigative teams to identify drug-related financing channels and schemes.

At the end of the training, the results were summed up, at which all participants noted the importance of conducting a parallel financial investigation into drug trafficking cases, taking effective and urgent measures to freeze (restrict) and seize any financial assets and property from suspects.

This project is carried out as part of the UNODC Programme for Central Asia 2022-2025, and the framework of the UNODC Global Programme Against Money Laundering, with financial support from the Bureau of International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs of the US State Department.

Story in Russian language

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by vasilina.brazhko[at]un.org