Skopje, 10 October 2024 (MIA) -- Customs agencies have leading roles in strengthening national and international security so investments in institutional capacity-building are as important as boosting cooperation and encouraging the exchange of experiences in disrupting criminal networks, Customs Administration director Boban Nikolovski said at the 10th annual meeting of the South-East Europe group of law enforcement officers held in Sofia, Bulgaria on Oct. 9-10.

At the event organized by the Pompidou Group (the Council of Europe International Cooperation Group on Drugs and Addictions) and the National Customs Agency of Bulgaria, Nikolovski said customs agents needed to focus on cargo shipments, considering the quantities subject to customs inspections and the number of steps in supply chains.

"We are strongly committed to achieving our shared goals in fighting drug trafficking through increasing cooperation, exchanging knowledge and experiences, conducting training sessions as well as real-time intelligence sharing," the Customs Administration head said.

Meeting participants discussed their risk assesment experiences and the use of intelligent systems in combatting crime.

The meeting was facilitated by the Cooperation Group of South-East European Airports, set up in 2015 to promote networking and joint operations for law enforcement co-operation. Police and customs officers working at regional airports hold yearly meetings to discuss detection, risk assessment and smuggling trends related to fighting drug trafficking via airports and co-ordinate joint action in this area.

This year's participants included high representatives of national customs agencies, border police, interior ministries as well as the Southeast European Law Enforcement Center.

Speaking about disrupting drug trafficking operations, Nikolovski recalled that Skopje International Airport customs officers had broken up an international anabolic steroid trafficking ring, an achievement that was also welcomed by the World Anti-Doping Agency.

Meeting participants adopted a declaration pledging to strengthen the role of the Cooperation Group of South-East European Airport in regional activities, to develop and align systems for detecting drugs at South-East European airports, to improve operative capacities and results in the fight against drug trafficking through timely exchange of information as well as to jointly identify regional drug trafficking trends and risks.

At the sidelines of the event, Nikolovski held meetings with regional counterparts and highlighted the importance of cooperation between customs agencies for fighting crime and facilitating legal trade. mr/