World Customs Organization Current Smuggling Method on Illicit Drugs

1
World Customs Organization Current Smuggling
Method on Illicit Drugs

• Dublin Group meeting
• 10 July 2007, Brussels
• Kunio Mikuriya
• Deputy Secretary General

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WCO in brief

• Independent intergovernmental organization
• Established in 1952 in Brussels
• 171 member customs administrations
• Collectively processing 97 of world trade
• Mission improve efficiency and effectiveness of
  customs
• Setting standards for customs procedures
• Promoting international co-operation
• Technical Assistance Capacity Building
• Cooperation with other international
  organizations, forums

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Evolution of customs
Revenue Collection of import taxes (duties
excise)
Protection of Economic Interests (domestic
industry)
Protection of Society lthealth, safetygt (drug
trafficking, firearms, environment, counterfeit
etc.)
Customs function
Economic Development ltcompetitivenessgt
(free smooth flow of legitimate trade)
Security ltterrorismgt (shifting focus to
entire supply chain)
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Modern customs control

• Control facilitation
• Two sides of the same coin
• Risk management
• From 100 inspection to intelligence-based
  selective control
• Compliance of traders
• Use of technology
• Revised Kyoto Convention, SAFE Framework of
  Standards
• Information exchange
• Customs Enforcement Network (CEN)
• Regional Intelligence Liaison Office (RILO)
• Model bilateral agreement, Johannesburg
  Convention

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SAFE Framework of Standards

• Harmonize advance electronic cargo information
• Facilitate exchange of information
• Enable pre-arrival risk assessment
• Consistent risk management
• Capacity building for risk-based control
• Outbound control
• Legal authority required
• Non-intrusive inspection technology
• Partnership with business
• Improve compliance
• Trade facilitation of legitimate trade

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Features of current drug smuggling

• Customs and Drugs Report 2006
• Annual analysis of
• drug seizures by
• customs
• Analysis on a
• regional basis
• CEN database
• Operational since
• July 2000
• Input by RILOs
• Members

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Heroin

• Seizure increase by 1 ton (2006/2005)
• Silk Road to traditional
• Balkan Route
• Major destination Europe
• Turkey, Iran India
• departure countries

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Opium

• Decrease in seizure number but increase in
  quantity
• Afghanistan source
• Iran major departure
• Canada, Turkey,
• Russia UK destination

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Cocaine

• Decrease in seizure
• South America departure
• West Europe North America destination
• Africa transit with a limited seizure
  records

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Cannabis resin

• Decrease in seizure
• Western Europe
• main market
• Morocco, Spain,
• Pakistan departure
• Efforts of Morocco in
• eliminating cannabis
• production
• Reduced seizure in
• Spain France

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Herbal cannabis

• Estimated increase in production but decrease in
  seizure
• India important source
• Morocco almost
• vanished as source
• Limited report from
• Americas
• Reduced huge seizures

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Amphetamine

• Increase in seizure
• Middle East Saudi Arabia 99 (Captagon)
• Bulgaria main production
• Turkey, Syria, Jordan main route
• Western Europe the Netherlands as major
  source

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MDMA (ecstasy)

• Decrease in seizure
• Wide-spread production
• Reduced need for cross-border transaction at
  the risk of customs control
• Netherlands, Canada, Bulgaria major source

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Other psychotropic substances

• Methamphetamine
• Continued decrease in seizure
• Jordan major departure
• China, Myanmar major source
• Saudi Arabia, NZ, Japan major destination
• Khat
• Africa major source
• Netherlands, UK legal, major second
  distribution source
• Canada, Western Europe major black market

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New Modus operandi

• Use of West Africa for cocaine smuggling
• Transit
• Air traffic with couriers swallowing drugs
• Concealment below the waterline of vessels
• Sophisticated method by organized crimes
• Caribbean countries important source

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Information sharing

• CEN
• Seizure records
• CEN-COMM (Communication)
• Secured internet-based communication system
• Operational since autumn 2004
• 6 operations in 2005, 7 in 2006
• Cooperation
• Data sharing project with Interpol UNODC
• MOU with European Monitoring Center for Drugs
• and Drug Addiction (EMCDDA)

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Thank you very much! For more information,
please visit WCO Web-site www.wcoomd.org