Lesson # 12: International Co-operation / Planned Operations

Due to its structure, drug smuggling is an organized crime and it doesn’t recognize any borders. Drug smuggling organisations are working world-wide. That’s why the drug smuggling organisations can be disrupted completely only with international co-operation and planned operations.

Planned operations require a long period of time and an intense study and co-operation among more than one-national/international law enforcement agencies. The purpose of these operations is to cease the illegal activities of the organisation by cutting their economic sources after identifying the hierarchical structure and connections of the drug trafficking organizations they formed in different countries. Real success can only be achieved by the continuous and rapid exchange of operational information, joint operational projects and synchronized operations. This requires extensive international co-operation.

The goal of this lesson is to give the students the knowledge of co-operation between countries, and the importance of the flow of information across the borders, due to the fact that, drug trafficking organizations are working world wide. It will also be explained that there is a division of labour among the drug trafficking organizations and that they can be disrupted completely only with international co-operation and planned operations.

At the conclusion of this lesson, participants will be able to:

1. List the five (5) important points in fighting drug smuggling.
2. Describe the structure and division of labour of drug smuggling organizations.
3. Describe the purpose and the way planned operations are conducted.
4. Define the term “ Controlled Delivery“.
5. List the five (5) crimes for which controlled delivery may be applied.
6. List the four (4) requisites for controlled delivery practice.