The ASEANAPOL Secretariat, in strategic partnership with Freeland, actively participated in the TRIPOD II - Counter Transnational Organized Crime – Wildlife Trafficking (CTOC-WT) training course, held from 9 to 13 June 2025 in Hai Phong, Vietnam. This impactful initiative was generously supported by the U.S. State Department’s Bureau of International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs.
Representing the ASEANAPOL Secretariat were Police Senior Lieutenant Colonel Nguyen Huu Ngoc, Director for Plans and Programmes (under the supervision of Executive Director Police Colonel David Martinez Vinluan), and Ms. Suhasini Gunasagaran. Both made valuable contributions to the training sessions and inter-agency dialogues, reinforcing ASEANAPOL’s steadfast role in advancing regional law enforcement collaboration.
This high-level capacity-building program directly addressed the complex and evolving threat of wildlife trafficking across Southeast Asia. Designed to empower frontline officers and specialists, the course fostered greater intelligence sharing, operational coordination, and strategic planning among regional partners.
The training convened 27 participants (12 from Malaysia and 15 from Vietnam) representing a diverse range of agencies, including police, customs, financial intelligence units, tax authorities, and public prosecutors. Their enthusiastic engagement reflected the region’s strong and united commitment to confronting transnational wildlife crime.
In his opening remarks, Pol. Sr. Lt. Col. Nguyen Huu Ngoc delivered the official message of Executive Director Police Colonel David Martinez Vinluan, which underscored the critical importance of multi-agency and cross-border strategies in dismantling trafficking networks. The message reaffirmed ASEANAPOL’s unwavering commitment to work hand-in-hand with Freeland and other like-minded partners to protect biodiversity and uphold justice.
Participants engaged in a dynamic curriculum featuring interactive lectures, scenario-based exercises, and practical skills development in areas such as open-source intelligence (OSINT), digital forensics, and informant management. The emphasis on real-world application was further enhanced during a field visit to the Tan Cang Hai Phong International Container Terminal Company Ltd., where participants learned about live cargo inspection techniques and a recent wildlife trafficking case study.
Throughout the training, the strong collaboration between ASEANAPOL and Freeland was repeatedly cited as a model of effective partnership, anchored in shared purpose, innovation, and trust. Their joint efforts continue to build a regional ecosystem of law enforcement excellence, empowering officers to detect, disrupt, and dismantle organized criminal syndicates.
The program concluded with a renewed pledge of commitment between ASEANAPOL and Freeland, signalling a united front in the fight against wildlife trafficking. This partnership is not only vital, it is indispensable, as Southeast Asia stands at a critical juncture in its efforts to preserve endangered species and combat transnational organized crime.
Together, through sustained cooperation and shared determination, ASEANAPOL and Freeland are charting a hopeful path forward, one where wildlife crime is no longer a low-risk, high-reward enterprise, but a challenge that is met with regional unity, professional expertise, and decisive action.
