International project arrests 72 people, confiscates 8.2 tons of drugs

In 2021, the Vice President launched an ambitious and ambitious project “Development and Application of Innovative Proactive Tools to Fight Drug Trafficking Organizations in EU Member States” or “FIDR Project”.

Its main objective is to provide EU Member States with innovative, proactive approaches and the latest technological solutions to effectively combat organised criminal groups at national, regional and international levels, including identification and elimination of transit routes, implementation of clearance of batches of narcotic and psychotropic substances, money laundering identification and dismantling mechanisms.

Law enforcement agencies from countries including Finland, Germany, Poland, Norway, Switzerland, Austria, Belgium, France, the Netherlands, Spain, Portugal, and the United States are participating in the project.

The FIDR project was initiated by Latvia, which is also the lead country of the project, but the recognized partners are the Lithuanian Criminal Police Office and the Estonian Police and Border Guard Service, and the support of Europol is also indispensable.

“It is well known that the goal of organized crime is to earn illegal profits. Criminal activities evolve every year and find new solutions to legitimize these illegal means. On the other hand, we look for solutions to keep up and fight it. At the same time, we must take into account that organized crime knows no borders, no time limits, and no bureaucracy. In order for institutions to receive funds to fight organized crime, sometimes it even takes a long time. Time – we found a solution in the FIDR project,” said Roman Jašins, the head of the project and Deputy Director of the Directorate for Combating Serious and Serial Crime at the VP Organized Crime.

Given the circumstances, the police cannot publicly reveal exactly how the FIDR project works and what this innovative tool is, but the police can confirm that it has been demonstrated and justified on several occasions.

During the project, more than 50 cross-border operations and more than 20 international joint investigations were supported. In addition, nine organized crime groups led by senior criminal leaders were identified, dismantled or dismantled, and senior criminal leaders were investigated and 72 people were arrested.

The total amount of drugs seized was more than 8.2 tonnes – mostly cocaine and cannabis, but also large quantities of ecstasy, synthetic opioids and methamphetamine, with a combined value of hundreds of millions on the illicit market.

During the project, movable and immovable property valued at more than 10 million was also seized, including luxury cars;

At the same time, the coordination and analytical support from Europol, as well as the enhanced modern technical support and provision available to project members when necessary, can be considered a major achievement of the project.

This year, the European Commission recognized the FIDR project as one of the best practices in the field of police cooperation and the fight against drug trafficking among member states, which should be implemented in each member state.

The project will be implemented over a three-year period and will end in 2024. The planned budget is nearly 650,000 euros.