CARICC delegation participated in a side event on digital technologies for combating drug crime

CARICC delegation led by Director M. Khamidov participated in a side event on “Digital Shield: The Role of Innovative Technologies in Detecting Drug Trafficking and the Laundering of Proceeds of Crime” organized by the Republic of Kazakhstan during the 69th Session of the Commission on Narcotic Drugs.

Participants in the event included Mr. M. Tileuberdi, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Republic of Kazakhstan to the Republic of Austria, Mr. O. Stolpe, United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime Regional Representative for Afghanistan, Central Asia, Iran, and Pakistan, Mr. A. Rogov, Head of the OSCE Programme Office in Astana, and representatives of specialized government agencies and international organizations.

Presentations were given by Mr. A. Nurbekov, Head of Department of the General Prosecutor's Office of the Republic of Kazakhstan, Mr. D. Meirkhan, Chairman of the Committee for Combating Drug Crime of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of the Republic of Kazakhstan, and other participants who shared modern approaches to using digital tools and analytical systems to detect drug crimes and combat money laundering.

Kazakhstan reported on the launch of a Targeting Center under the General Prosecutor's Office of the Republic of Kazakhstan. It links 23 government information systems and is designed to detect and investigate suspicious financial transactions associated with drug trafficking and other types of organized crime.

Considerable attention was devoted to combating drug trafficking via the Internet and digital platforms. It was underlined that blocking Internet resources used for illicit drug trafficking is an effective tool in countering online drug trade. Adoption of legislation regulating digital asset transactions was also mentioned, which makes it possible to block financial flows of criminal groups by identifying and freezing crypto assets.

In his speech CARICC Director M. Khamidov stressed the relevance of the side event's topic given increasingly complex drug situation in the region and rapid development of digital technologies actively used by criminal networks. He informed participants about measures being taken to enhance CARICC's information and analytical capabilities aimed at improving efficiency of data exchange and operational cooperation between law enforcement agencies of participating states.

Particular attention was paid to expanding cooperation between CARICC and the Academy of Law Enforcement Agencies and the Committee on Legal Statistics and Special Records of the General Prosecutor's Office of the Republic of Kazakhstan in the field of data analysis, professional training and introduction of modern digital solutions in combating drug crime.