DUSHANBE, February 5, 2010, Asia-Plus — The establishment of the Central Asia Regional Information and Coordination Center (CARICC) for Combating Illicit Trafficking in Narcotic Drugs, Psychotropic Substances and their Precursors is one of the large-scale projects of the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC).
Major-General Sheravliyo Mirzoavliyoyev, Representative of Tajik Drug Control Agency (DCA) to CARICC, said in an interview with Asia-Plus that the presidents of all seven CARICC countries (Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Russia, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan) singed the framework agreement on the establishment of the CARICC, however, parliaments of only five countries, namely Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan and Turkmenistan have ratified the agreement so far.
Mirzoavliyoyev reminded that the framework agreement on the establishment of the Center came into effect on March 22, 2009. The entry in force followed the ratification of the CARICC agreement by the parliaments of the mentioned five countries.
“Russia and Uzbekistan have not yet ratified the agreement and there are no representatives from competent agencies of these countries in the Center,” Mirzoavliyoyev said.
According to him, donors of the project for the establishment of CARICC include Great Britain, Italy, Canada, Luxemburg, the United States, Turkey, Finland, France and Kazakhstan.
The budget of the project for the period till December 2011 amounts to 15.4 million U.S. dollars, DCA representative to CARICC said. Kazakhstan has provided a building costing US$5.8 million for the Center’s office and US$2.7 million for reconstruction of the building. The U.S. Central Command has purchased two vehicles, office equipment, software and furniture for the Center.
CARICC”s achievements to date include serving as the regional focal point for operation “TARCET” on precursors and controlled delivery exercises. CARICC”s efforts to foster cooperation and information sharing among the countries resulted, for instance, in discovering 16 international heroin smuggling channels and the seizure of more than 222 kilograms of heroin, Mirzoavliyoyev said, adding that 27 members of criminal groups were arrested.
“Last year, Tajik counternarcotics agency sent information to the Center about two Tajik nationals and one foreigner, who were wanted for smuggling narcotics into Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Russia, Uzbekistan and Europe,” said the DCA representative to CARICC, “The Center sent findings to all competent agencies of the CARICC countries and due to the operation initiated by the liaison officers and coordinated through CARICC the Kazakh Committee for National Security detained the wanted drug dealer in Almaty. He was organizer of heroin supplies from Afghanistan via Tajikistan to Spain.”
We will recall that CARICC project was launched in late 2004 and its main goal is to promote cooperation among law enforcement agencies in the region to enhance counternarcotic activities. To this end, CARICC serves as the region”s main center for information exchange and analysis on transnational crime as well as a centre for the coordination of joint operations. Based in Almaty, the center has liaison officers seconded from member states whose role is to ensure cooperation between CARICC and the competent authorities in the respective country.
