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UNIS/NAR/752
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SOUTH EASTERN EUROPEAN COUNTRIES TO ENHANCE INTELLIGENCE SHARING ON DRUG TRAFFICKING VIENNA, 14 June (UN Information Service) - The United Nations Office for Drug Control and Crime Prevention (ODCCP) has launched a new project today aimed at strengthening the capacities of South-Eastern European states in the collection and analyses of criminal intelligence related to drug trafficking and organized crime (which is partly funded by the Government of the United Kingdom). At the meeting in Sofia, Bulgaria – attended by representatives from Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Croatia, Federal Republic of Yugoslavia, Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, Romania, and Slovenia – regional crime experts discussed the status of criminal intelligence analyses in their respective countries, regional cooperation and expectations from this new project. The countries in transition in South Eastern Europe and the Western Balkans have been affected by the increase in transit of large amounts of heroin as well as by huge increase in drug abuse and a drastic decrease in the age of drug abusers. Over the past three years, ODCCP has been working closely with the governments of Bulgaria, Romania and FYR of Macedonia providing them with technical assistance in their efforts against drug trafficking and organized crime. Their coordinated activities contributed to the seizure during that time of 1,127 kilos of hard drugs. The new $2.2 million project, entitled Strengthening of Capacities for Collection and Analyses of Criminal Intelligence in South-Eastern Europe, is aimed at increasing the capacity of the states in intelligence collection and analysis which also contributes to their capacity to identify traffickers and disrupt their networks. * *** * |
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