On September 4-5, 2013 in Chisinau, Republic of Moldova, an operational meeting took place involving law enforcement officials from Georgia, Moldova, Ukraine, Turkey and Azerbaijan, as well as representatives from EUROPOL, EUBAM, CARICC, SELEC, the GUAM Secretariat, the SOCA (UK), France’s National Police, the BKA (Germany), and the DEA (USA).

The meeting was organised by the Moldovan Ministry of Interior, the Georgian Ministry of Interior and supported by funding from the EU “Heroin Route II – Information Networks” Project. The project is being implemented under Phase II of the programme “Fight against organised crime and drug trafficking along the Heroin Routes”, which is taking place within the framework of the European Union’s Instrument for Stability (IfS). The project’s objective is to promote regional and trans-regional co-operation and law enforcement coordination, and to develop future operational strategies against heroin trafficking.

The agenda covered co-operation in on-going investigations, as well as new trends, modus operandi and smuggling routes through the South Caucasus and Black Sea regions. The participants agreed on future activities to assist in targeting smugglers and to exchange best practices in terms of investigation activities.