ASEANAPOL Director for Plans and Programs Engages in Bilateral Meetings with INTERPOL Counterparts in Lyon, France

During participation in INTERPOL’s Operation HAECHI V, organized by the Financial Crime and Anti-Corruption Centre (IFCACC) from November 25 to 28, 2024, at INTERPOL’s headquarters in Lyon, France, Police Senior Lieutenant Colonel Nguyen Huu Ngoc, Director for Plans and Programmes (DPP), represented the Executive Director David Martinez Vinluan and the ASEANAPOL Secretariat. As part of the mission, he engaged in several bilateral meetings with INTERPOL counterparts to discuss matters of mutual interest.

A key meeting was held with INTERPOL’s Information System Directorate, represented by Mr. Thierry Ray, Director; Mr. Dany Donnen, Assistant Director, IT Customer Services Sub-Directorate; Mr. Pierre Negre, Head of Branch, Call Centre - IT Customer Services Sub-Directorate; Mr. Wee Min Wong, IT Project Manager; and Mr. Katsuhiro Yamauchi, Support Office Coordinator - IT Customer Services Sub-Directorate. Discussions centered on the establishment of a dedicated I-24/7 Virtual Private Network (VPN) connection between the INTERPOL General Secretariat and the ASEANAPOL Secretariat. Additionally, the proposal included hosting servers on INTERPOL&rsquo ;s cloud infrastructure to facilitate the integration of the electronic ASEANAPOL Database System and the creation of secure notification alerts for the ACCPCM and DVI & CSI modules. The Information System Directorate expressed strong support for this initiative, which will be formalized through a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) modeled after the templates for Observer and Dialogue Partner of INTERPOL. The proposal’s finalization is expected soon, with a follow-up visit by INTERPOL’s Information System team to the ASEANAPOL Secretariat headquarters in Kuala Lumpur planned for January 2025.

On the sidelines of the debriefing meeting, DPP engaged with representatives from INTERPOL’s Drug Unit, including Mr. Alfonso C. Mejuto Rodriguez, Coordinator, and Mr. Gonzalo Giordano, Criminal Intelligence Officer of the Criminal Networks Sub-Directorate. Their dialogue addressed the international and regional drug trade, focusing on the activities of growers, producers, transporters, suppliers, and dealers of drugs and precursors. Specific topics of collaboration included threat assessments, criminal intelligence analysis of drug trafficking routes, modus operandi, and criminal networks. The discussions also explored the development of Drug Analysis Files and capacity-building through training and operational support. ASEANAPOL’s interest in participating in joint operations and projects such as AIRCOP and MAYAG, which target inter-regional illicit drug trafficking affecting Southeast Asia and beyond, was emphasized. The meeting concluded with a commitment to further collaboration with INTERPOL to enhance the implementation of resolutions adopted during the 42nd ASEANAPOL Joint Communiqué.

Another significant engagement was with INTERPOL’s Firearms Programme, where DPP met with Mr. Joaquim Rodrigues, Coordinator, and Mr. Pierre Sauer, Policy Analyst. Discussions focused on strengthening efforts to combat arms smuggling and enhancing regional and global cooperation to counter firearms trafficking. Key topics included identifying trafficking routes, analyzing emerging threats related to firearms smuggling, and recovering illicit firearms while addressing their misuse in criminal activities. The meeting also highlighted the need to maximize the utilization of the INTERPOL Ballistic Information Network (IBIN), a system that enables law enforcement agencies to compare ballistic fingerprints—such as images of fired casings and projectiles—and link crimes across jurisdictions. DPP affirmed ASEANAPOL’s commitment to leveraging INTERPOL’s tools and expertise to combat the illicit arms trade and strengthen the capacity of law enforcement to detect and disrupt firearms trafficking networks. The meeting underscored the importance of intelligence-sharing and operational collaboration to address cross-border challenges posed by arms smug gling and associated criminal activities.

These bilateral meetings align with the broader objectives of enhancing the global policing architecture and underscore the significance of synergies between INTERPOL and regional police organizations such as ASEANAPOL, AMERIPOL, AFRIPOL, EUROPOL, FRONTEX, CARICOM, and UNODC. Through these engagements, ASEANAPOL reaffirms its commitment to collective action in addressing transnational organized crime, which impacts nations and territories worldwide.

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