As the global economy becomes increasingly interconnected, opportunities for trade have spread around the world. Shipping lanes are the highways of international commerce. However, this presents opportunities not only for governments and legitimate businesses but also for transnational organized crime groups to transport anything from legal goods used for money laundering, to prohibited drugs and even materials for weapons of mass destruction. These actors benefit from the sheer volume of global and regional trade because this makes effective monitoring extremely difficult.
Addressing this challenge requires the integration of modern technologies and improvements in customs infrastructure. The State Customs Service of Turkmenistan is taking measures to enhance transport control, including through upgrading equipment, staff training, and strengthening border infrastructure.
With financial support from the U.S. Department of State Bureau of International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs (INL), the Export Control and Related Border Security (EXBS) and the Governments of Japan and France, and the strategic operational partnership with the World Customs Organization (WCO), UNODC implements the Passenger and Cargo Border Team (PCBT) / UNODC-WCO Global Container Control Programme. The Programme helps to improve risk management, supply chain security and trade facilitation in seaports, airports and land border crossings in Central Asia and Pakistan, including Turkmenistan, in order to prevent the cross-border movement of illicit goods.
For instance, on 16 July 2024, UNODC provided the State Customs Service of Turkmenistan (SCST) with 30 kilometers of fiber optic cable. The cable will connect the Port Control Unit (PCU) at the Farap Avtoyollary Customs post to the broadband internet through the Lebap Regional Customs Department. This connection will enable the use of the secure ContainerCOMM platform for full-fledged direct communication and data exchange with profiling units in other countries. Thus, it will improve the ability to detect and prevent high-risk shipments.
Mr. Gandym Jumayev, Head of the Information Technologies Department of the State Customs Service of Turkmenistan, noted that this assistance will significantly enhance Turkmenistan’s capacity to combat smuggling and improve customs control in the country.
UNODC will continue to support the Government of Turkmenistan in strengthening passenger and trade supply chain security to prevent the trafficking of illicit goods, reduce organized crime and terrorism, and support trade and passenger facilitation.
