CARICC Participates in the Opening of the International Anti-Drug Operation “Channel – Caspian Lighthouse”

On 26 October 2026, the official opening of the international anti-drug operation “Channel – Caspian Lighthouse” took place in Almaty. The operation is being conducted within the framework of the Coordination Council of Heads of Competent Authorities for Combating Drug Trafficking of the Member States of the Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO) (CCHCA).

The event brought together delegations from the competent authorities of Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Russia and Tajikistan, as well as representatives of the CSTO Secretariat, the Eurasian Group on Combating Money Laundering and Financing of Terrorism (EAG), CARICC, and the Committee of Heads of Law Enforcement Units of the Council of Heads of Customs Services of the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS). Representatives of the competent authorities of the People’s Republic of China and the Islamic Republic of Iran participated as observers.

Opening remarks were delivered by Abay Zhusupov, Chairman of the Committee for Combating Drug-Related Crime of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of the Republic of Kazakhstan, Police Colonel, Mikhail Melikhov, Adviser to the CSTO Secretariat and Deputy Secretary of the Coordination Council, Boris Yakovchenko, Deputy Head of the Main Directorate for Drug Control of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Russia, Police Major General, Makhmud Khamidov, Director of CARICC; as well as Andrey Neprimerov, representative of the Council of Heads of Customs Services of the CIS member states, and Mikhail Granatkin, representative of Rosfinmonitoring.

The speakers emphasized the need to strengthen international cooperation in combating illicit drug trafficking. Against the backdrop of evolving drug threats and the growing use by criminal networks of digital technologies and contactless drug distribution methods, particular importance is attached to the timely exchange of information, coordinated action by competent authorities and joint operational and preventive measures.

The Director of CARICC noted that approaches to strengthening international cooperation in countering drug threats had received support at the recent Moscow conference of the CSTO, CIS and Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) on security issues in Central Asia and Afghanistan. Participants highlighted the importance of consolidating regional efforts in accordance with the principle of “regional solutions to regional problems.” In this context, the prospects for cooperation between regional and international organizations were also highlighted, including CARICC’s initiative to establish a cooperation mechanism in the “CIS – CSTO – SCO – CARICC – EAG” format and to expand CARICC’s participation in Operation “Channel.” These approaches are intended to strengthen coordination and provide fresh impetus to practical cooperation in combating transnational drug crime.

CARICC expressed its readiness to support the analytical work accompanying joint efforts, facilitate the exchange of up-to-date information and consolidate the results of the operation.

The “Channel – Caspian Lighthouse” operation aims to strengthen cooperation among the competent authorities of the participating states, enhance the effectiveness of efforts to combat transnational drug crime and develop sustainable mechanisms for regional cooperation.