Art with our expert Milogros Diego. Once again, I would like to thank you
because the work you have been doing at Coppola has been very important,
supporting countries in their demands regarding drug precursors. Well, as
José Luis Baltanes has mentioned, this work would not be possible without
those 16 expert professors who have dedicated countless hours. We wanted
you to be able to put a face to some of them. We have 16, and we had to
choose three. So, well, let's give the floor to those three professors who
are going to present Milogros with a series of questions. Good morning.
Good afternoon to all of you on behalf of the teaching team. I would like
to say that it is a pleasure to begin this educational journey with all of
you, and we hope it is filled with enriching learning. Experiences In this
course that we are about to begin, starting on the 23rd, we will embark on
an academic journey that will not only focus on acquiring knowledge but
also on developing critical skills, exploring new areas of interest and, of
course, preparing ourselves for the future challenges we will have to face.
To accompany you on this journey, we have our entire teaching team. Can you
hear me better now? Yes. We have our entire teaching team, all of whom are
specialists of recognized prestige with extensive experience in the control
of drug precursors. Within the teaching staff, we have professionals who
are working in public safety, who are legal experts or practitioners, and
each of them will bring their vast experience, their passion for their area
of expertise, and of course, they will be there to guide and support all
the students in their learning. As Laura has said, we are joined today by
an example of the professors we have, starting with Debra Meester, whom we
have already mentioned. She will accompany them throughout the five
sessions in the Regulatory Framework and Action Plans block. She is a
biochemist specializing in toxicology and has worked as a lecturer and
researcher in the Department of Toxicology and Legal Chemistry at the
Faculty of Pharmacy and Biochemistry at the University of Buenos Aires. At
present, he is a project officer in the Supply Reduction Unit of the
Inter-American Commission for the Control of Drug Abuse, SACAD, within the
Organization of American States. We will also have Liz Wendy
Cuadros-Veloza, who will be with you in the panel as well in Block 2, also
covering regulations and action plans. Like Deborah, she is a police
administrator specializing in comprehensive security. She has knowledge in
the design and execution of public policy strategies, internal conflict,
and strategic intelligence, and has over 27 years of service in the
National Police, leading projects in the Directorate of Anti-Narcotics. We
will also have the presence of Trotsky Gustavo Santamaria, who will
accompany you in the section that deals with the administrative control of
precursors. He is a chemical engineer and has studies in national drug
policies, surveillance and control for the prevention of illicit
trafficking and control and supervision of chemical substances. He is also
a trainer of trainers and a speaker at international seminars on safety and
the prevention of diversion in chemical substances. She currently works as
the chief specialist of the directorate for the control of classified
substances subject to regulation at the Ministry of the Interior of
Ecuador. Well, taking advantage of the presence of our three professors. I
would like them to share, from their own perspective as educators, the
importance of a course on precursors, like the one we are about to start,
and what sets it apart from others that may have been offered in the past.
Right. Yes, to any of the three. This question is directed to all three.
Hello, good morning, good afternoon everyone, and you hear and see me well?
Yes, perfectly, Deborah. Well, thank you very much for the presentation,
and also, first of all, I would like to thank Opelad, Sitco, and the entire
1D team. for inviting us to be part of this initiative this course which is
not only excellent but also very necessary regarding the importance of a
course like this in my opinion it lies in the fact that having trained
personnel in the control whether administrative customs police or judicial
of precursors is essential for carrying out effective control over chemical
substances and in particular a course like this which is so specialized
will ensure that participants can acquire all the technical knowledge that
will help them to identify and also prevent the illicit use of chemical
substances And I believe this course stands out because, as Jose Luis
mentioned, it integrates all the essential topics needed to understand the
issues surrounding precursors into a single curriculum. What this will do
is provide the students with a very comprehensive understanding of the
topic and the issues at hand by the time they finish the course. Well, I
also believe that in each class, students will be able to meet instructors
who are professionals with many years of experience, and this enriches the
course not only because they will be able to share their technical
knowledge, but also good practices that they have acquired throughout their
careers in a field like chemical precursors. which is very, very
specialised. Now that I have you here next to me on the screen, we would
like to... Well, we all know the 1988 Vienna Convention, which has been
ratified by almost all countries in the world and which establishes for the
first time a series of obligations for the control of precursors. But,
based on your experience, what makes it necessary to establish, in addition
to this international regulation, other national or regional regulations to
control precursors? Well, the 1988 Vienna Convention provides... The
International Control Framework, which is a robust framework for the
control of, recurses, I believe that each region and each country, faces
challenges and contexts that are very particular. So they will need
regulations that are tailored to those specific needs. That is why national
legislations and regulations become relevant, so that countries can
implement measures that are adapted to local realities. What is this? For
example, the particularities of the illicit trade in precursors, the
trafficking routes present in the country, the illicit drug manufacturing
methods that criminal organizations are carrying out, and also the control
capabilities that the country possesses. On the other hand, national
regulations can also enable authorities to address specific aspects of
control, for example, allowing them, through national legislation, to
strengthen coordination between agencies, particularly among the different
agencies responsible for control. It is known that strengthening
interagency cooperation in the control of precursors improves the
effectiveness of the fight against the diversion of these substances.
Furthermore, I believe that national regulations also allow countries to
implement measures that take into account regional trends regarding both
lawful and unlawful use. In this way, with a national regulation, I can
have a response that is up-to-date and therefore effective in addressing
the problem of chemical precursors. Thank you, Deborah. In the fight
against drug trafficking, we must take into account all the plans that are
necessary to combat it in various areas. Liz. We would like you to tell us
what the importance of knowing the Hemispheric Drug Plan is and why it is
important to include precursors within these plans to combat drug
trafficking. Milogros, good afternoon to you. It's still morning here for
us. Thank you very much to Coppelat for the invitation. I am truly
honoured. on behalf of the national police of colombia being able to share
a bit of the experience because when i was told about the topic it is very
important as it has been strong point for colombia in recent years to be
able to establish specific plans directly related to the control of
chemical substances you know that we are a producing country and without
chemicals there are no drugs we can say that we have forged specific plans
for operational actions against drug trafficking against trafficking
organizations and the hemispheric plan has been the roadmap for us to be
able to work when i was preparing the class i think it is one of the
pillars for establishing specific plans with results that have some impact
on drug trafficking and processing because the hemispheric plan provides us
with the tools and as deborah rightly said it is not a problem that
concerns just one country but rather understanding what the needs of other
countries are that we have here in colombia as producing countries
regarding the arrival of chemical substances that come from elsewhere but
also those that are produced locally so we also need to understand what
those needs are at the hemispheric level in order to make effective control
thank you very much liz and we must take into account that within the
control of precursors we are talking about substances that have a
particularity they have many legal uses Therefore, we need to consider this
when controlling these substances, which is why there should be
administrative oversight of the operators who are legally using all these
types of substances. Trotsky, as one of the professors in charge of the
administrative control block, what do you consider to be the importance of
monitoring all operators who legally use precursors and regulated chemical
substances? And Laura also sends greetings from afar to Deborah and Liz,
and it would be a pleasure to meet with some colleagues. And share. First,
I would like to answer the question you initially asked about the
importance of taking this course and tell you that my experience is that
this is the first course of its kind that specialises in the topic of
precursors. in such a comprehensive way that it will strengthen the
capabilities of all those who have to be on the front line, controlling
chemical substances and preventing them from being diverted towards illicit
activities. In my experience, I have not seen a course that has a plan like
the one established here, a duration like the one it has, and a practical
component that we will also need to consider at the end. This will allow us
to have truly trained individuals who, after that, will have the necessary
tools to implement better controls in each of their countries. That, that
is, the most important thing I can highlight about this course, this
diploma that is going to be offered. And then... To answer your question,
it has already been said before, and Liz also mentioned it, the acquisition
of chemical substances may be one of the few points where drug trafficking
intersects with the legitimate industry. As you already said, chemical
substances have many industrial uses, many lawful uses, many legal uses,
but it also becomes a critical point because it is here, except for certain
cases, where chemical substances are directly produced illegally, that the
substances must be acquired, which can then be used in illicit activities.
Therefore, knowing all our operators is a fundamental tool. Firstly,
because they are the ones we need to protect, it is the industry that we
must safeguard from illicit activities. In other words, we need to have
registered and know who will later become the individuals we will turn into
our allies. And then it is also knowing that it is here where we will find
the largest amount of information that could possibly lead to
investigations that end in the dismantling of illicit activities. As
Altanas mentioned in his introduction, 80% of the investigations were
initiated due to a precursor issue. It is therefore very important to
recognize the administrative control that must be exercised over the
operators, the activities they carry out, the infrastructure they have to
perform these activities, and the substances they are handling. I believe
that is the main thing to know regarding administrative controls. Thank
you, Trotsky. Therefore, one of the topics that will also be addressed in
the course is the identification and study of these operators. But,
Trotsky, what is the importance of conducting this study of the operators?
What kind of studies can be conducted and what information will we obtain
that will help us to carry out an effective control of these substances? We
said it. The operators are the place where there is the greatest risk,
because it is where the illicit industry will try to capture or acquire
chemical substances. Therefore, we need not only to register them but also
to know them and know them very well. who understand where they are
located, what activities they are engaged in, and what the risk is. And
here is the key word, what is the risk that exists concerning them, mainly,
because this is where the industry or where criminal organizations, the
criminal groups, will want to act, will want to acquire the substances. If
we know our operators well and conduct studies on the substances they are
handling, the locations they are operating in, and the activities they are
carrying out, we will have a wealth of information to prevent these
substances from ultimately finding an illicit channel. Conducting a study,
for example, on what the demand for a substance is in our country and
whether this demand is sufficient to cover industrial activities or is
being exceeded, can provide us with indications that something may be
occurring. Likewise, there are chemical substances that are used in certain
areas for a specific purpose. For example, in our country we have an oil
industry and we have a mining industry that is located in specific sectors
and uses specific chemical substances. If we do not know the true magnitude
or the actual quantity of substances needed for these activities, we are
increasing the risk that they may have a different purpose. That is why it
is important to have as much information and reality as possible, but not
only to have information, but also to evaluate the information we have,
conduct studies on that information, and then propose policies that allow
us to prevent the diversion of these substances. Thank you. Trotsky.
returning to the plans against drug trafficking liz what is the importance
of technical scientific information and planning methodologies for these
strategies against drug trafficking supremely important thank you mealy for
that question i believe it has been the success of how we have been able to
organize the issue of uniting that scientific research that has been
conducted over so many years in the fight against drug trafficking the
anti-narcotics division of the police has been working against drug
trafficking for over 35 years and let's say that creating the center for
strategic studies was one of the best strategies we have had against drug
trafficking you The chemistry laboratory was created, and let's say that we
were able to start working with camouflage, with topics that at first
glance we thought we couldn't tackle. Linking the studies conducted by the
Academy on certain issues that are overlooked and seem to be under control.
We are going to look at the Emerald Strategy in the course, and it is a
strategy that was largely forged from scientific evidence regarding what is
affecting us and what we are finding in the studies we were conducting
closely with Coppola, the United Nations, and the Ministry of Justice. So
it was about gathering all this academic information that was available and
turning it into operational information. So all the information we gather
from academia helps us to develop the effective plans we currently have
against drug trafficking. And the case of Colombia is a case study that we
can take into account. Thank you, Lyd. Lastly, considering Zweitors and
Dein, the regulations, we know that currently there are many countries in
the region that are either updating their regulations or drafting specific
regulations for precursors. And it would be advisable from our point of
view, but they use the CICAD model regulation as a basis. But Deborah,
please, why is it really interesting and beneficial for this model
regulation to be used, and what are the reasons? Furthermore, I would like
you to tell us how this course can contribute to highlighting the
importance of uniformity in regional regulations and therefore the use of
this model regulation as a basis. Thank you, Mealy, for the questions. I
will start the response by explaining for those who are not familiar with
the model regulation for the control of chemical substances used in the
illicit manufacture of narcotic drugs and psychotropic substances, which is
a reference tool developed by the expert group on chemical substances and
pharmaceutical products of CICAD. This model regulation was created with
the intention of providing countries with a technical tool so that they can
implement Article 12 of the 1988 Vienna Convention internally. This
document is not static and adapts to new trends in the illicit manufacture
of drugs, as it has been updated on several occasions. This document
addresses general aspects of the control of chemical precursors and serves
as a tool available to countries so that they can develop or update their
regulatory frameworks regarding the control of precursors. And here, I
would also like to tell you that this is a resource that SICAD makes
available to countries, which they can use according to their needs. It is
not a binding document, but rather a flexible, accessible tool that can be
adapted to the regulations of each country. And I believe it is advisable
for countries to use the model regulation as a basis when updating or
drafting their regulations, as it will allow them to address the
particularities of precursor trafficking. taking into account the common
challenges faced by countries in the Americas. Thus, if they adopt the
model regulation, national regulations will be somewhat aligned with both
international best practices, as we mentioned. It is based on the 1988
Convention and also with better regional practices. In this way, the
document allows them to establish standard, a common standard, which will
also facilitate cooperation among the countries in the region. When shared
and when countries have a similar regulatory framework, it is easier to
exchange information. coordinate efforts, and strengthen control networks.
And this is because the trafficking of precursors, as Liz also mentioned,
is a global problem that involves all countries, so it requires coordinated
responses. Similar regulations in the countries can facilitate this
instance. I would also like to emphasize that the model regulation was
developed taking into account the recommendations of experts who have
extensive experience in the control of precursors. Therefore, the measures
proposed in this document, the measures you will find in this text, are not
only technically sound, but also applicable in different national contexts.
In this way, I believe that countries using the model regulation as a basis
will be able to implement a more robust framework that is tailored to
regional needs without having to start from scratch to update or draft the
regulations. Regarding the second question, about how this course
contributes to having the regulations in the region unified or similar, I
believe it is precisely by introducing different international tools that
are available to states so they can make their national regulations more
robust or better adapted to face challenges, for example. As Mealy
mentioned, there will be a class dedicated to this model regulation.
Therefore, I am making the content of this document known, understanding
what each article addresses, what solution was sought with that article in
relation to the trafficking of precursors and also to the new regional
trends. It will help participants comprehend the principles and guidelines
of this document In this way, the benefits of having a harmonized
regulatory framework in the region will also be promoted. This course will
also provide a space for professionals from different countries. who
exchange experiences, discuss the difficulties that arise when regulations
are not aligned, and so on. This will reinforce the idea that similar
regulations in the countries of the region can facilitate international
cooperation and, as a consequence, strengthen the capacity to control these
substances, whether by adopting the guidelines of the model regulation or
by adopting other international tools. Having similar regulations will help
standardize procedures according to best practices and improve
communication between countries. So, I believe that this course will
provide students not only with a greater awareness of the importance of
regulatory uniformity, but also that they will be better prepared to
advocate for such an implementation in their respective countries. Thank
you, Deborah. Thank you, all three, for your explanations. This is indeed
what the teaching team truly offers. We hope it will be an enriching
course. I would like to remind you that our teachers are here to support
you every step of the way, and do not hesitate to approach them with any
questions or concerns you may have. Shall we open the floor for any
questions you may have? Laura Yes, well, again, thank you very much Liz,
Deborah and Trotsky for speaking in a bit more detail about the module that
you will be delivering Usand