04-05 December 2017- UNODC held a Regional Specialized Training Course on Cash Couriers in Buenos Aires, Argentina.
During the two days of the specialized training course on cash couriers, law enforcement officials working with financial investigations units at border crossing points were trained in technical aspects related with the interdiction and detection of cash couriers.
The globalized world creates opportunities of which transnational organized crime (TOC) is taking advantage: The smuggling of cash allows criminals groups to move and hide the proceeds of crime, facilitating drug trade, especially cocaine trafficking.
In order to strengthen the member states' capacity to efficiently confront these challenges, the training was composed by lectures and practical exercises designed to promote the trainees' knowledge and skills. The participants represented the following eight CRIMJUST participating countries: Argentina, Bolivia, Colombia, Peru, Panama, Brazil, Ecuador and the Dominican Republic.
On behalf of the Colombian participants, John Briter Ramírez Herrera, from the Colombian National Police, underlined his special appreciation to CRIMJUST, GPML and AIRCOP for enabling the presence of Colombian officials at the training. He pointed out, "the analysis of illegal cash flows is of high importance for the interruption of drug trafficking, which already is a component of the criminal system and the action scope of every group of transnational organized crime".
Through the Global Programme against Money-Laundering (GPML), UNODC seeks to assist law enforcement authorities and financial intelligence units with strategies to counter money-laundering. These strategies include granting technical assistance to authorities from member states, organizing training workshops, providing training materials and transferring expertise between jurisdictions.
Additionally, building synergies with programmes under the European Union Cocaine Route, CRIMJUST also collaborated with UNODC Airport Communication Programme (AIRCOP), which aims to build drug interdiction capacities at selected international airports in West Africa, Latin America and the Caribbean.
CRIMJUST partnership with AIRCOP and GPML for the organization of this training aimed at promoting robust national responses and at providing a platform for representatives of law enforcement agencies to exchange best practices.
Under the framework of the CRIMJUST project funded by European Union Cocaine Route Programme, UNODC and its partners (INTERPOL and TI) aim to assist Member States to enhance their capacity and integrity of criminal justice institutions to detect, investigate, prosecute and adjudicate illicit cocaine trafficking cases, and to foster cooperation at the interregional level for effective action to tackle drug trafficking and related organized crime.
For more information:
- European Union "Cocaine Route Programme"
- AIRCOP
- GPML
- Ministry of Security Argentina
