North Macedonia: ICITAP Counters Transnational Criminal Organizations in Partnership with DEA

On September 13, ICITAP-North Macedonia, in partnership with the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), launched a five-day course on Investigating Transnational Criminal Organizations (TCO) for 15 crime investigators from the Public Security Bureau, Financial Police and Customs Office, and two public prosecutors. This INL-funded TCO course focuses on the security threats posed by a wide range of transnational criminal activities. It is designed to provide participants with an overview of how transnational organized crime represents a threat to a national security; it examines how transnational criminal organizations impact a country’s national security and seeks to identify and analyze new approaches to combat transnational criminal organizations and illicit networks. The course is delivered by experienced DEA instructors and includes lectures, presentations, practical exercises, case studies, and discussions. Topics covered include money laundering, confidential source management, mobile device exploitation, crypto currencies, surveillance operations. ICITAP-North Macedonia Law Enforcement Assistance Attaché Carl Risheim, in his remarks, stressed the important role of the specialized law enforcement agencies including crime police, financial police and customs and their close cooperation with the prosecution offices, to successfully investigate and interdict activities aimed at countering illicit narcotics, and the associated elements of transnational crime and corruption.