ADE: Second working meeting to deal with tobacco smuggling

His treatment was at the heart of the second working meeting of Europol’s Economic Crime/AP SMOKE Division that hosted the Coordinating Operational Centre (CEC), under its auspices, on 26 and 27 March, according to ERT. Representatives of Greek prosecutors, CEC officials and experts from EU Member States, the United Kingdom and Ukraine exchanged know-how and best practices, analysed the new trends of criminal organisations and presented successful operational actions on tobacco smuggling in the EU. The commander of AADE, George Pitsilis, welcomed the meeting, stressing among others: “ADE actively contributes to the ongoing fight against illegal production and marketing of tobacco products, challenges that can only be addressed by cooperation between states, government institutions and services. We give priority to combating smuggling and strengthen the efficiency and effectiveness of controls. We have under our auspices the Coordinating Operational Centre (CEC), an excellent cooperation mechanism with other bodies in the EU Member States and international organisations. We work closely with national authorities such as the Police and the Port Corps and European bodies, such as the EPPO, the European Anti-Fraud Office (OLAF) and the European Police Office (EUROPOL). We work tirelessly to ensure that our efforts have a lasting impact on the security and well-being of citizens.” The meeting was also attended by Deputy Minister of Civil Protection Andreas Nikolakopoulos, the Head of the European Financial and Economic Crime Centre (EFECC) of EUROPOL Burkhard Mühl, the President of SEK Panayiotis Koukoulomatis, the Deputy Chief of L.S.-EL. AKT. Vice Admiral L.S. Trifon Kontizas, as well as representatives of the private sector who have presented the latest developments in their actions and initiatives to help deal with the smuggling of tobacco products. Source: ERT