Second Annual Law Enforcement Conference: Drug Control Networks

The Council of Europe International Co-operation Group on Drugs and Addictions (the Pompidou Group) organised its Second Annual Law Enforcement Conference: Drug Control Networks, which took place at the premises of the Council of Europe from 19-21 November 2024 in Strasbourg, France.

The event brought together participants from police, customs, justice, private sector, academia and more, representing member states of the Council of Europe as well as experts from observer or non-member states. Furthermore, representatives from regional and international organisations such as Interpol, Europol, Eurojust, UNODC, EUDA and WCO attended and addressed the works of the Conference.

This conference covered a spectrum of topics concerning drug manufacturing, trafficking via general aviation, the digital realm of drug commerce, precursor chemicals, emerging trends in synthetic drugs, the intersection of AI and drug control, as well as environmental ramifications of waste disposal post-drug production. 

Furthermore, operational strategies, global challenges, evolving patterns in drug supply and trafficking, crime in Europe tied to drug activities, legislative developments, aspects of proliferation of counterfeit products, dynamics of drug trade: cryptocurrencies and money laundering, intermodal transportation challenges, and open-source intelligence were discussed in group sessions according to each day's profile.

Annual Conference of Drug Control Networks 2023

170 experts from 40 countries, 5 international organizations, academia and the private sector attended the first Annual Conference of Drug Control Networks hosted by the Pompidou Group of the Council of Europe. It was the first edition of a new conference format launched by the Pompidou bringing together participants from different drug control and law enforcements sectors:  trafficking through airports, general aviation, precursors control, and drugs related cybercrime. This integrated conference format allows for more synergies between different law enforcement services, in particular border control, criminal investigation and customs services. Plenary sessions addressed topics of overarching interest such as (1) developments in drug supply and trafficking, (2) online challenges and opportunities, and (3) operations and international cooperation. Specific specialised sessions included (1) precursors awareness, (2) airport inside threat, (3) synthetic drug threats, (4) drugs online, (5) general aviation, (6) internet, AI and other internet-related threats, (7) gaming & recruitment, (8) money laundering & fraud, and (9) managing trauma, stress and mental health. High-profile international experts and researchers provided evidence based input for the discussions.