23 May 2017 - In the margins of their side event during the 26th Commission on Crime Prevention and Criminal Justice, the CRIMJUST & GLOBAL CYBERCRIME PROGRAMME discussed the rising and trending topic of the use of the internet by criminal organizations and for criminal purposes, and more specifically for drug trafficking, at the UNODC Headquarters in Vienna.
Increasingly, the internet is being used for illicit drug trafficking as a tool of the globalized world. The transnational nature of organized crime creates a challenge to member states and further stresses the need for a more professionalized approach to digital evidence.
Through this side event attended by over 70 participants, CRIMJUST (funded by European Union Cocaine Route Programme) and the UNODC Global CyberCrime Programme aimed at jointly exploring the increasing challenges posed by illicit trafficking on the dark net.
During the opening remarks Mr. Tofik MURSHUDLU, Chief of Implementation Support Section, insisted on the global aspect of the threats caused by cyber criminality. ''Regional and international cooperation is more and more important to address these challenges".
Not only has the internet become an online market place, but is now also an online platform for recruitment of drug smugglers. As explained by UNODC Senior Expert on CyberCrime, Mr. Neil WALSH, the internet primarily focuses on reducing risks for both criminals and buyers. "There is no specific place for the Darkweb, it is used everywhere. Can we shut it down? No." Therefore, we must learn to use it as a tool for investigation, and law enforcement and prosecutors must learn to conduct investigations and collect evidence on this platform. As sharing information and evidence remain key components of cyber investigation, Mr. Marco TEIXEIRA, Programme Officer of CRIMJUST highlighted the importance of the capacity building and regional cooperation efforts supported by CRIMJUST in disrupting organized crime and more specifically, illicit drug trafficking off and on the internet.
Under the framework of the CRIMJUST project funded by EU 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"
- INTERPOL
