DUSHANBE, April 20, 2010, Asia-Plus — On Tuesday April 20, visiting director of the Central Asia Regional Information and Coordination Center (CARICC) for Combating Illicit Trafficking in Narcotic Drugs, Psychotropic Substances and their Precursors, Lieutenant-General Beksultan Sarsekbayev, met here with heads of Tajikistan’s Drug Control Agency (DCA), Ministry of Interior, State Committee for National Security (GKNB), Main Border Guards Directorate within GKNB and Customs Service, according to the DCA press service.
Issues related for further expansion of cooperation between the CIS member nations, in combating drug-related crimes were a major topic of the meeting that resulted in the signing of a protocol of the meeting between heads of Tajik law enforcement agencies and CARICC.
The protocol provides for coordinating interaction between Tajik competent bodies and CARICC in combating illicit trafficking in narcotic drugs, psychotropic substances and their precursors, providing information exchange, assistance with preparing and carrying out joint operations, etc, the DCA press service said.
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 center 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.
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 Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan and Turkmenistan.
