Azerbaijani customs seizes 6 tons of drugs over past three years – chief
“As a result of the work done over the past three years, significant progress has been made in the fight against smuggling, especially drug trafficking, up to 6 tons of drugs have been seized, and several criminal gangs have been identified and neutralized,” this statement was made by Safar Mehdiyev, chairman of the State Customs Committee (SCC), at a meeting with a delegation led by Detlef Schroeder, executive director of the European Union’s Law Enforcement Training Agency (CEPOL).
The meeting focused on the implementation of the TOPCOP (training and operational partnership against organized crime) project, implemented by CEPOL and with the participation of our country, as well as strengthening future cooperation.
Safar Mehdiyev spoke about the reforms in the customs systems by President Ilham Aliyev in recent years and said that important achievements have been made in simplifying customs operations, speeding up border crossing processes, eliminating the “shadow economy” and minimizing official-citizen contact. As a result of the successes in modernizing the customs system, the Azerbaijani customs body has been elected head of the World Customs Organization’s (WCO) European Region, which unites the world’s most developed countries, and has made significant contributions to strengthening international cooperation over the past two years.
Schroeder thanked for the cordial meeting and spoke about the importance of cooperation and exchange of experience in the fight against crime. He stressed that effective cooperation with the Azerbaijani customs is of special importance for the organization he represents and will make an important contribution to the overall work in the fight against crimes.
