Group of Trust

ended

The general objective of this project proposal is to improve the detection and repression of drug trafficking by sea.This will be achieved by fostering the strategic, tactical & operation cooperation between the Law enforcement agencies in charge of combating drug trafficking (police, customs, ) in the major ports of the European Union. A focus will be laid on the ports of Rotterdam, Hamburg, Bremerhaven and Antwerp as they are the most important hubs for the import of cocaine in Western Europe). As the ports themselves are an important actor, they will also be closely involved in the project. In order to achieve the general objective, the knowledge and skills of the LEA’s involved will be improved by creating a multidisciplinary confidential network for cooperation to foster the exchange of operational information. One of the specific objectives is to gain better insight on the criminal process behind the drug trafficking. In order to create a clear image of the drug trafficking process, (joint) operational actions with all partners involved will be carried out such as inter alia the use of technical tracking devices on transhipment (container)loads shifting from one port to another via barge, train or truck (intermodal), hoping to detect the expedition, transport and import-export companies which are used as facilitators in this process. The project will take into account the use of the latest technology which can have a supporting role. Moreover, expert meetings will be organised to identify and discuss the latest concealment techniques and modus operandi used in the area of drug tracking via major ports like inter alia the drop-off and rip-off techniques. It has indeed been demonstrated in recent years that these three ports mentioned above have close links not only with the criminal prganizations involved but also with trafficking methods. Benchmarking visits in other major European Ports will also be carried out.This will eventually result in joint trainin