EC representative: Criminals use Moldova for drug transit
Transnational criminal networks use Moldova as a transit hub for transporting huge amounts of hashish, cocaine and heroin in east and west directions.
This was stated by Olivier Onidi, deputy head of the European Commission’s Directorate for Migration and Asylum (DG HOME), at a meeting of the EU Security HUB in Chisinau on Thursday, infotag.md reports.
At the opening of the meeting, organised by the Moldovan authorities and the European Commission, he said that “today we are faced with a huge problem that knows no borders – the scourge of drugs”.
“30 billion euros a year is the value of the illegal drug market in the European Union alone. It is not just huge, it is the biggest and most lucrative criminal market of all. That’s why we must work together to tackle this complex problem,” said Onidi.
“We are pursuing the overarching goal of the HUB: a comprehensive, co-ordinated and unified approach to preventing and combating all forms of crime across the EU. We could not have done this without the valuable support of EU Commissioner Ylva Johansson, as well as the Presidents of the Czech Republic, Sweden and Spain,” said Moldovan Interior Minister Adrian Efros.
EU Ambassador to Chisinau Janis Mazeix emphasised that “the EU is determined to work together with Moldova to overcome the problem of drug trafficking”.
“A wide range of instruments should be utilised, including political support, financial assistance, operational support, technical expertise and capacity building opportunities. Today’s discussions will help define future joint actions,” he said.
The discussions looked at the dynamics of the challenges and risks of drug trafficking.
The EU Security Centre is a common platform that provides information, infrastructure and expertise from EU countries to Moldova’s law enforcers in order to strengthen its internal security.
The meeting was also attended by the heads of the EU Agency for Law Enforcement Cooperation and the EU Law Enforcement Training Agency; representatives of the European Monitoring Centre for Drugs and Drug Addiction.
In 2023, representatives of Moldovan law enforcement agencies took part in 110 operational activities organised by European partners from the Platform against Criminal Threats (EMPACT). 15 joint investigations were conducted with the support of Europol. Moldova was the host country of the first two meetings of the Eastern Forum on Border Security and Management.
