Frontex has joined an international operation to combat cigarette smuggling, document fraud, human trafficking, and gun smuggling across the EU's external borders.
The operation, known as Joint Action Day (JAD) Finestra 2, was jointly led by Romanian and Moldovan authorities and took place in December 2022. Other organizations involved included the European Police Office, the European Union Anti-Fraud Office (OLAF), the Southeast European Law Enforcement Center (SELEC), and the International Criminal Police Organization (INTERPOL). A cooperation center comprising officials from participating countries was established in Chisinau, Moldova.
This action has several objectives:
Identify the criminal networks behind the smuggling of consumer goods, particularly tobacco products.
Crack down on cross-border crimes, including smuggling of immigrants and fraudulent use of relevant documents.
Enhancing information exchange and cooperation among EU member states and other participating countries.
4. Share best practices between participants and national organizations of each participating country.
As a result of the operation, 2.3 million cigarettes, over 3 tons of tobacco raw materials, and 15 forged documents were seized. The operation identified 40 smugglers and led to the arrest of 2 individuals who were wanted by Interpol.
In addition, law enforcement officials also seized illegal firearms, explosives, counterfeit goods, synthetic drugs, narcotics, and some stolen vehicles.
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