The European Union’s Border Assistance Mission to Moldova and Ukraine (EUBAM) and the UK’s Fiscal Crime Liaison Office ensured Moldova’s Customs and Border Police Officers’ skills and technical abilities to profile and control containers entering and leaving the country were strengthened these weeks. Two workshops, conducted in Chisinau on 20-22 September and in Cahul on 26-28 September, guided officers on risk indicators, container tracking, scanning of containers/lorries and interpretation of scanned images, protection of intellectual property rights and vessel rummaging. Classroom-based teaching was blended with practical exercises to ensure knowledge transfer.

The high volume of maritime trade conducted using containers and the ability to conceal illicit cargo within them, from drugs to counterfeit goods, makes their profiling and control by Customs Officers an essential component in the fight against cross-border crime.

Participants were also briefed on the importance of inter-agency and international cooperation, with mutual assistance and information exchange mechanisms explained. Working visits to Internal Customs Posts at Industriala, Giurgiulesti-Galati Border Crossing Point and Giurgiulesti International Free Port were also undertaken, where practical aspects of containers’ control were identified and discussed.