Narcotics Agency, Australian Federal Police Agree on Information Exchange

TheIndonesia.id - The National Narcotics Agency (BNN) and the Australian Federal Police (AFP) had agreed on strengthening information and intelligence exchange related to drug trade, head of BNN confirmed.

Petrus Reinhard Golose said the agreement with AFP was made because there are similarities found in the modus operandi of drug trade cases in both Indonesia and Australia, and the focus between the two institutions is on the exchange of information.

“We’re cooperating in information and intelligence exchange on narcotics trade,” Golose said on Wednesday, July 20, as reported by Antara.

In the meeting at BNN’s headquarters in Jakarta, Golose said AFP and BNN mainly discussed the mitigation to anticipate threats from the Golden Triangle, Golden Crescent, and Latin America syndicates.

“AFP has representatives in South America as well as in Golden Triangle and Golden Crescent,” he explained.

According to United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), the Golden Triangle refers to area “covering Myanmar, Thailand, and Laos” and is “the second largest opium production region in the world”.

Meanwhile, the Golden Crescent is “illicit opium production areas in Iran, Afghanistan, and Pakistan”.

Strengthening cooperation with AFP is seen as a necessary step to prevent transnational illegal drug trades, especially cocaine from Latin America. BNN also aims to eradicate clandestine laboratories used for drug production.

In addition to information exchange, the two institutions are also committed to capacity building through joint trainings.

“We will learn from each other on how to fight drug trafficking,” the BNN leader concluded.