An online expert meeting was hosted within the Inter-Regional Network of Customs Authorities and Port Control Units (Inter-regional Network) of the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime and the World Customs Organization Global Container Control Programme on 10-11 September 2020.

The meeting brought together representatives of the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime, CARICC, the World Customs Organization, diplomatic missions of donor countries and other international organizations, and customs authorities and customs control services of member countries of the Inter-regional Network (the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan, Georgia, the Republic of Kazakhstan, the Kyrgyz Republic, the Islamic Republic of Pakistan, the Republic of Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Ukraine and the Republic of Uzbekistan), and the Republic of Azerbaijan, which expressed its interest in joining the Network.

Foundation of the Inter-regional Network, established upon signature of the Memorandum of Understanding on Network foundation by heads of customs administrations on May 22, 2019 in Tashkent, contributed to establishment and strengthening of practical interaction between customs services of the mentioned countries. A simplified mechanism of information exchange between national focal points of customs services and port control units is implemented within the Inter-regional Network.

Ms. Ashita Mittal, UNODC Regional Representative for Central Asia, Mr. Ketil Ottersen (Vienna), Senior Coordinator of UNODC Global Container Control Programme, and Mr. Peter Timmermans (Brussels), WCO Technical Expert, addressed the meeting with welcome remarks.

The event was moderated by Mr. Batyr Geldiyev, Regional Programme Coordinator, and Mr. Peter Timmermans, and key speakers included international coordinators of UNODC programmes in Central Asia and representatives of customs authorities and customs control services of the countries participating in the Inter-regional Network.

Ms. Tatiana Evdokimova, CARICC representative, presented a report on the Center's work under international and regional cooperation in combating illicit trafficking of narcotic drugs, psychotropic substances and their precursors. Participants were introduced to results of a study on the use of container transportation for cross-border drug trafficking in 2018-2020 that was performed by CARICC Information and Analytical Unit personnel. Moreover, the CARICC representative emphasized the importance of analytical efforts aimed at addressing challenges of operational and strategic response to drug trafficking and transnational organized crime.

Participants underscored the need to strengthen mechanisms for cooperation and rapid information exchange, to establish and expand links, to address in a timely manner problematic aspects of practical interaction between national customs contacts and port control units of the countries participating in the Inter-regional Network, and to share information in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Based on the results of the UNODC meeting, recommendations will be developed for the countries participating in the Interregional Network.

Coronavirus pandemic in 2020 is likely to be main factor affecting changes in transnational crime and drug trafficking in the world in general and the Central Asian region in particular.

Closure of borders, restriction of movement between cities and other quarantine measures within states have, to a certain extent, complicated transport of narcotic drugs as well as distribution of drugs within countries, in populated areas and between them.

Analysis of drug seizures in the region over the past period in 2020 shows that illicit market traditionally has a higher share of cannabis group drugs.

Meanwhile, the problem of synthetic drugs is becoming more and more acute. Between January and May this year, about 1 ton and 50 kg of psychotropic and new psychoactive substances, some of which are amphetamine-type stimulants, were seized in CARICC Member States.

In the same period, over 370 kg of opium group drugs and 1 ton and 890 kg of cannabis group drugs were seized.

Thus, as a result of monitoring and analysis of available information, the Centre identified main changes observed in drug trafficking and examined some of anticipated elements of drug crime organization caused by restrictive measures related to coronavirus imposed by countries both worldwide and in the Central Asian region.

Closing national borders to movement of people and restricting movement of goods across borders has to some extent weakened the ability of transnational organized crime groups to smuggle drugs and their precursors, as well as to transfer cash generated by transnational drug trade. However, this assumption requires further study, as there is a trend of increasing seizures of drugs in the Central Asian region as a whole (including those originating in Afghanistan) during the period of the pandemic, which may be a result of increased anti-drug measures, including state control of movement of goods at borders, rather than of intensification of transnational drug groups.

However, according to some experts, this encourages organized drug crime to make greater use of the efforts of states to provide food and medicine, which often disguise drugs, to the population. Drug trafficking groups could also make greater use of high-tech equipment in the form of drones and other semi-autonomous vehicles, and vice versa, “natural” means of transporting drug shipments across national borders using animals and postal birds.

Restrictions on movement within countries/regions due to quarantine and emergency situations (including curfew regimes) have also reduced the ability of drug dealers to supply and drug users to obtain narcotic drugs and psychotropic substances. It has also become more difficult to distribute drugs contactlessly through caches, etc. However, attention should be drawn here to the opinions of a number of experts that the sale of drugs by contactless means may have been shifted to sales using or under the guise of courier delivery services. This method may continue to be used for criminal purposes in the future, and drug dealers will start using technological tools more actively.

Limitations on movement of people and goods in the world may shift the structure of international drug trafficking from reducing transnational trade and smuggling of plant-based drugs to organizing production of synthetic drugs and new psychoactive substances in places of their direct sale, which allows drug dealers to minimize their risks and costs associated with logistics of drug supplies. This assumption is confirmed by increasing share of NPS and synthetic drugs in composition of drug market.

Self-isolation has led to increased use of electronic services, including criminal ones. This has increased the motivation of drug dealers to switch from using cash payments to using “Darknet” and electronic payment systems. In addition, coercive measures to isolate population and insufficient state measures to provide material support to the most socially vulnerable groups left without a livelihood may facilitate their transition to underground economy sectors. Economic hardship makes societies more receptive to criminal offers such as recruitment for criminal actions such as plant cultivation or courier services for drugs and money. Transnational drug crime is likely to try to use this opportunity to recruit new relatively inexpensive members for “rough work”. This may also be exacerbated by the trend of labour migrants who have been left without jobs and livelihoods returning to the states of the region.

On the positive side, drug traffickers incurred significant economic losses during the pandemic, which, it is to be hoped, undermined the financial capacity of organized drug groups. This factor is likely to help deter the inevitable adaptation of drug crime to the new environment, and drug control authorities will gain time to devise an adequate response.

Mr. B.Abdijaliev, Acting Advisor/Head of International Operations Coordination Unit, CARICC.

Mr. Y.Chikalov, Acting Advisor/Head of Information and Analytical Unit, CARICC.

Mrs. A.Tiurina, Senior Analyst of Information and Analytical Unit, CARICC.

On July 22, 2020 a working meeting of the Director of CARICC Major-General Miralizod Rustam Aziz with the Head of the Programme Office of UNODC in the Republic of Kazakhstan Mr. Naweed Riaz was held.

During the meeting Mr. Miralizoda R.A. informed Mr. Naweed Riaz about the results of his business trip to the capital of the Republic of Tajikistan.

The parties gave a positive assessment of the webinars organized and held in early July, which were attended by staff of the Centre, representatives of the competent authorities of CARICC member states and international organizations, including UNODC and OSCE. The issue of holding a competition to fill the vacant posts of CARICC was also considered.

At the end of the meeting, plans were outlined for the near future to promote the organization at the regional and international levels and the issue of the CARICC development in the conditions of the spread of coronavirus infection COVID-19 was discussed.

During his working visit to Tajikistan, the Director of CARICC, Mr. Rustam Aziz Miralizoda, met with his Excellency Zohir SAIDZODA, Deputy Minister of foreign Affairs of Tajikistan.

The meeting discussed accession of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan and the Republic of Turkey to the CARICC Agreement, the Centre's work to review and agree upon draft Agreement between CARICC Member States on exchange and protection of secret information, as well as other important cooperation topics in combating illicit drug trafficking and prospects for its development.

A few days earlier, CARICC Director met with leadership of the DCA under the President of the Republic of Tajikistan, the Ministry of Internal Affairs of the Republic of Tajikistan, and other law enforcement agencies and specialized institutions of the country.