Passenger and Cargo Border Team (PCBT) sustains capacities and skills of the Port Control Units (PCUs) in Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, and Turkmenistan through the UNODC-WCO Global Container Control Programme (CCP)

Regular mentoring programme represents an inherent capacity-building element of training curricula, offered by PCBT-CCP to Customs and other competent authorities of beneficiary countries and aims at strengthening the theoretical knowledge and practical skills of the members of the dedicated Port and Air Cargo Control Units (PCUs/ACCUs) in targeting, identifying, and suppressing high-risk consignments, utilizing modern targeting and risk profiling techniques, and improving their routine operation. With this in view, the regular mentoring sessions were organized for members of the selected PCUs, deployed in Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, and Turkmenistan.

On 27-28 March 2024, twelve officers from Customs Service under the Government and Drug Control Agency under the President of Tajikistan, including the members of PCUs Dushanbe-2 and Nizhniy Pyanj had an opportunity to enhance their expertise at Nizhniy Pyanj Customs post in Tajikistan at a session led by Ms. Akosita Valamalua, WCO expert. She shared her hands-on experience in profiling and selecting high-risk consignments, seal tampering, cargo inspection approaches for detecting drugs, precursors, concealments, as well as complying with safety and security measures. Sessions were accompanied by physical exercises on cargo searching techniques.

The three separate mentoring sessions led by Ms. Akosita Valamalua in Uzbekistan for 19 members of the PCUs, deployed at Customs posts Ayritom, Termez River Port, Termez Cargo Center, Yallama, and Tekhkontora Chukursay, as well as PCBT National Focal Points from National Information-Analytical Center on Drug Control and Customs Committee under the MEF of Uzbekistan were held on 01-05 April 2024. Participants performed their daily routine tasks under the mentorship by WCO expert, who pointed out the specific aspects of risk profiling based on types of commodities, routing, origin, and destination countries along with transit countries, with due diligence on transportation modes and transshipments in terms of detecting potential rip-on rip-off method. The common examples of modus operandi used for smuggling, including concealment methods, shipping document forgery cases, detected globally were sensitized upon during the practical exercises.

The complementarity and mutual reinforcement of mixture of automated and manual risk analysis and profiling were clearly underlined and showcased to the participants. Participants selected and conducted inspections of shipments from and through neighbouring Afghanistan at the inspection hangar at Termez Cargo Center.

Mentoring sessions in Turkmenistan, held on 01-05 April 2024 for 15 PCU members, deployed at Customs posts of Turkmenbashi International Sea Port, Ashgabat International Customs Terminal, and Farap Avtoyollary were led by Mr. Svetlan Savov, WCO expert, and Mr. Serik Nurmanov, Team Leader of PCU Morport Aktau in Kazakhstan, who acted as a co-mentor and shared his hands-on expertise in the subject matter. The emphasis was given to enhancing operational capacity and intensifying the cooperation among the units regionally on information sharing and cargo pre-arrival data exchange.

Theoretical sessions helped to strengthen the PCUs’ knowledge and skills in handling the high-risk consignments while using the latest techniques and international best practices. Practical work was focused on suppressing the smuggling based on risk management, analysis of commercial documents, types of concealments, seal tampering methods, and Customs revenue frauds.

The PCU members in all the three countries noted the practical essence of PCBT/CCP mentoring sessions and expressed their gratitude to UNODC for technical support, being constantly rendered, which helps Customs in further increasing their capacity and adds to its efficiency and effectiveness. Access to ContainerCOMM was granted by WCO mentor to newly joined PCU members.

The PCBT Regional Segment for Central Asia is funded by the U.S. Department of State Bureau of International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs (INL) and the Export Control and Related Border Security (EXBS) Program, as well as Governments of Japan and France.

More about Global CCP at: https://www.unodc.org/unodc/en/ccp/index.html