Training for customs officials on detection of smuggled goods and cigarettes

On 12–14 August 2014, the International organization for Migration (IOM), in cooperation with the International Centre for Migration Policy Development (ICMPD), will carry out bilateral training for 20 customs officials from the Republic of Belarus and Ukraine on the detection of smuggled goods and cigarettes. The training will be delivered by an international expert from the National Customs Board of the State Revenue Service of Latvia.

The training will exclusively focus on the role and activities of customs in combating the smuggling of cigarette and tobacco goods. For this purpose, the topics of national, regional and international cooperation, pre-trial investigation, criminal intelligence, risk management and operational activities will be discussed. The participants will also learn how to carry out a criminal pattern analysis, an analysis to identify tobacco smuggling and counterfeiting, and a strategic analysis on the trends of cigarettes smuggling.

Background:
This training is part of the European Union funded project «Support to the creation of an electronic system of pre-arrival information exchange between the customs authorities of Belarus and Ukraine – PRINEX». The project is being implemented by the International Organization on Migration (IOM) in partnership with ICMPD, which is responsible for the training component. Project activities include regular cross-border meetings and working groups to strengthen coordination and cooperation, hard- and software procurement, training workshops and study visits on risk analysis, document security, the fight against smuggling of goods and corruption, and information campaigns on the benefits of the new pre-arrival information exchange system, which will target the wider local population and commercial carriers. The State Customs Committee of the Republic of Belarus and the Ministry of Revenue and Duties of Ukraine are the recipients of the international technical assistance provided in the framework of the PRINEX project.

For more information about the project, please contact:
Ms. Monika Weber, ICMPD Project Manager, monika.weber@icmpd.org
Mr. Andrei Zaitsev, IOM Project Coordinator, azaitsev@iom.int

PRESS-RELEASE – Training for customs officials on detection of smuggled goods and cigarettes (PDF)