ISLAMABAD: Minister for Narcotics Control Shehryar Khan Afridi has said that Pakistan is successful fighting against drug trafficking and ready to work with the international community to control drug trafficking.
While addressing the audiences at the joint event of the United Nations and SCO in the fight against illicit drug traffic titled, “Countering Drug Trafficking via Darknet” at Vienna, Austria.
Minister for Narcotics Control said that Pakistan sincerely appreciates and acknowledges the effective role of SCO for promoting peace, stability and economic uplift in our region.
He said Pakistan is effectively contributing to all counter-narcotics endeavors of SCO since becoming a full member in 2017, he added.
Citing Pakistan’s pledges and support to the anti-drug mechanism of the SCO Member States 2018-2023, the minister said the SCO forum that Pakistan’s Action Plan is strongly being implemented as a national main concern.
“The concepts of the establishment of SCO Universal Center and SCO Anti-Drug Center are also significant initiatives and would facilitate in strengthening regional cooperation.
Additionally, stage one of the anti-drug operations “Spider-Web” was effectively conducted in July last year while the 2nd phase is planned at the end of March 2020.
The minister said that today Pakistan is listed amongst countries that are making successful contributions in the world fight against illegal narcotics trafficking.
Taking stock of the threats posed by drug trafficking through Dark Net, the minister for narcotics control said with reliable advancement in technology, the use of DarkNet for trafficking in unlawful narcotics has emerged as one of the most constant and multifaceted challenges owing to the relation secrecy it offers to the outlaws.
Reflecting upon this specific challenge to Pakistan, Afridi said that DarkNet was found to be used in Pakistan for illicit import, the export of drugs, especially of ATS and Ecstasy tablets.
He said the drug law enforcers of Pakistan have an inadequate ability to handling digital evidence, forensics and cryptocurrency.
However, Pakistan is working hard to curb this menace through the optimal operation of intelligence networks, he added.
In the last two years, the minister said Pakistan made eleven seizures of total 3,300 Ecstasy Tables, 92 Grams MDMA, five Grams Cocaine and 36 Grams Weeds coming from the Netherlands to different cities of Pakistan booked through DarkNet employing Bitcoin.
Afridi urged the world to take joint measures to counter and address the emerging threat of DarkNet by developing and strengthening the capacities of its member States to trace cryptocurrency transactions to the owner and to conduct undercover operations on the DarkNet by using relevant technical equipment, enhanced technical skill sets and exchange of experiences and best practices.
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