Baku, Azerbaijan, May 23

By Matanat Nasibova – Trend:

The main types of customs offenses and crimes in the CIS are connected with the illegal movement of goods across the customs borders of states, Oleg Gubaydulin, Chairman of the Committee of Heads of Law Enforcement Units (CCPE) of the Council of Heads of Customs Services of the Member Countries of the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS), told reporters on the sidelines of the 19th meeting of the committee held in Baku, Trend reports.

According to the chairman, this includes the transit and movement of money and currency through the customs borders.

"Under various treaties, a significant amount of money is carried across the customs borders, which then we cannot find, including in the CIS space. At the same time, we are fighting against the smuggling of drugs actively coming from Afghanistan. The fact of the matter is that international mail channels have started to be used as of late, and the form of movement of drugs across the border is changing. Here, of course, all law enforcement agencies need to strengthen cooperation. It is very important that law enforcement cooperation is carried out according to the same rules, and that we understand what we will do together," Gubaydulin said.

The chairman of the CCPE noted that the main form of interaction between law enforcement agencies is controlled deliveries, as well as the improvement of the mechanisms used in organizing work in the customs sphere.

“To reduce the level of crimes in the customs sphere, particularly in the smuggling of drugs, it is necessary to bring the investigation to a conclusion. We must see both the supplier and the final distributor. If we work through all the chains for removing the drugs out of circulation, then in this case, we must learn to remove these very chains, and only in this case will there be some results," Gubaydulin said.

Baku hosts the 19th meeting of the Committee of Heads of Law Enforcement Units of the Council of Heads of Customs Services of the Member Countries of the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS).

The event is attended by heads of law enforcement units of customs services of Azerbaijan, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Russia, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan, along with their colleagues from Estonia and Latvia attending the meeting as observers. The representatives of the Anti-Terrorism Center of the CIS Member States, the Bureau for the Coordination of the Fight against Organized Crime and Other Dangerous Types of Crimes in the Territories of the CIS Member Nations, and the Coordination Service of the CIS Council of Commanders of Border Troops are also participating in the event.

The agenda includes discussions of law enforcement work in the countries of the region, reports of the working groups, and exchange of views on the development of cooperation.

The meetings’ participants discuss, inter alia, issues of cooperation in the fight against trafficking of drugs, psychotropic substances and their precursors as well as against online offenses.