Canada Border Services Agency | Agence des services frontaliers du Canada’s Post

Border agencies around the world have converged at Melbourne Airport this week to counter criminal infiltration of international supply chains. The Australian Border Force (ABF) hosted officers from the Canada Border Services Agency | Agence des services frontaliers du Canada (CBSA), New Zealand Customs Service (NZCS), and U.S. Customs and Border Protection (USCBP) for a week of training, tradecraft and capability-building to tackle the threats posed by insiders with in the aviation environment. The week included practical training exercises focused on aircraft search techniques, discussions on intelligence gathering, and a visit to the ABF's detector dog facility. ABF Inspector Costas Karatzas said this week has allowed experts in this field to come together and further the world’s best practice to combat criminal infiltration. “Commercial aviation isn’t in the business of drug trafficking, it is the few bad actors who are our target,” ABF Inspector Karatzas said. Representatives from partner agencies highlighted the critical role of international cooperation in addressing complex threats in the aviation sector and safeguarding borders while facilitating legitimate trade and travel. The ABF continues to work with all law enforcement agencies and other partner agencies, including in the aviation industry, both in Australia and offshore to stop organised crime groups who seek to import prohibited goods and illicit drugs. To learn more, visit the newsroom link here: https://lnkd.in/gSXq7tTa

🇺🇸 🍁 Customs and Border Protection statistics show nearly 500 people on the terrorist watch list were apprehended at the northern border from October 2022 to September, compared to 80 on the southern border. [later] Apprehensions at the northern border have increased over the past three fiscal years, though they are a mere fraction of the apprehensions at the southern border. Compared to the more than 2.4 million encounters there, CBP recorded roughly 189,000 apprehensions at the northern border. But that was a substantial increase from the previous fiscal year — when nearly 110,000 apprehensions took place — and fiscal year 2021, when about 27,000 were recorded. [above excerpt]

The United States has been establishing Fusion Centers around our own country for more than a dozen years. I was personally involved in the stand-up of the Hawaii State Fusion Center when I was the U.S. Customs and Border Protection Representative to the Hawaii High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area. Now it's time for the United States to take the lead in establishing Fusion Centres around the Pacific (we can use the Commonwealth spelling). I served in two multinational platforms working for U.S. Customs. First going back about 35 years was Project Cook which tracked private yachts, fishing vessels and other small boats across the Pacific smuggling drugs and for overall Customs/Immigration border enforcement purposes. Then just before the turn of the 21st century, came the Customs Asia Pacific Enforcement Reporting System [CAPERS]. I worked as a facilitator at the National Support Center here in Honolulu very closely with counterparts in Canberra & Wellington. Now the time has come for America to work with our partners in the Pacific, not only the major Pacific Rim countries, but once again all the small islands and territories in Oceania. Call it the Pacific Basin or what you wish. It''s everything that extends from Asia to the Americas. Hawaii is out here in the middle of the North Pacific. Frankly we have dropped the ball. Australia has taken the lead in this endeavor to some extent. We need to go beyond narcotics smuggling and transnational crime to the threat of state-sponsored Chinese aggression and hegemony. With current developments, the United States could very well position intelligence analysts on the Island of Palawan in the Philippines closest to the South China Sea brouhaha. I mean the place that is a war getting ready to happen unless measures are taken to prevent it. [Where I got malaria in 1973.] America is also building an Over the Horizon radar on the island of Peleliu, a former bloody WW II battlefield, to monitor China. That is in the Republic of Palau, a Sovereign Nation with a Compact of Free Association with the United States. America is committed to their defense. Palau would be another excellent location not far from the Philippines to position intelligence resources in coordination with other Pacific nations. I would most definitely include Taiwan. At least two Indo-Pacific Commanders ago, I heard recommendations of American sponsored Fusion Centres in the Pacific, but that word has died down. Now is the optimum time to revive it. Deterrence is important. We still plan for a counter offensive if China attacks. But we're better off if we can preclude it. The key is talking to our allies. That's why we need to be sitting together in one place at one time with intelligence analysts advising the decision-makers by supplying timely threat data. I took the Open to Work frame off my LinkedIn photo. I'm 75 and don't want to really work full time. But I would love to be a contributor to such an effort wherever it leads.

https://lnkd.in/gguCKrAb? BREAKING: EX-BORDER OFFICIALS BACK TRUMP: 'THE CHOICE IS CLEAR' Ex-border officials back Trump: 'The choice is clear' "Assuming you care about border security as much as we do, the choice is clear. President Trump is the only candidate that we can trust to secure our nation’s borders," they wrote. Ex-border officials back Trump: 'The choice is clear' By Ben Whedon Just the News Published: November 1, 2024 1:26pm https://lnkd.in/gguCKrAb? Agroup of former border officials has thrown its support behind former President Donald Trump just days before the presidential election. The coalition boasts former retired chiefs of the U.S. Border Patrol, other high-ranking members of that agency, as well as former acting U.S. Customs and Border Patrol Commissioner Mark Morgan, and former U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement Director Thomas Homan. "Assuming you care about border security as much as we do, the choice is clear. President Trump is the only candidate that we can trust to secure our nation’s borders," they wrote. "The Biden/Harris administration enacted policies that systematically dismantled a proven 27-year bi-partisan border security strategy that prevented crime, both at the border and in towns across America, through deterrence and consequences," the group insisted. "The appalling results were immediate and will have lasting consequences." "President Trump respected the experience of career border security professionals and listened to our advice. When border security experts explained to President Trump how illegal immigration empowers the cartels to control who and what enters our home, he listened and acted," they asserted.

NCA officers have led a law enforcement partnership with the Bulgarian authorities to prevent hundreds of boats, engines and other pieces of maritime equipment reaching the hands of people smugglers. For the last 12 months the NCA, alongside the UK Home Office and Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, have worked closely with the Bulgarian National Customs Agency and Bulgarian Border Police, sharing intelligence and mounting joint operations targeting the criminal supply chain. As a result, 33 separate interceptions of maritime equipment intended for criminal gangs organising channel crossings have been made, including 125 dangerous inflatable boats, 128 outboard engines, more than 700 pumps, and 300 rubber rings. NCA experts assess the seizures will have denied the crime networks around £16.6 million in profit they would have made from crossings using the equipment. Adrian Matthews, Director of Intelligence at the NCA, said: “Bulgaria is a key location on the supply route for the criminal people smuggling networks involved in organising dangerous Channel boat crossings. “Taking this equipment out before it can reach them not only disrupts their activities and hits their profits, but it also prevents these lethal boats and under-powered engines being used at sea where lives are at risk. “As close partners and allies, the UK and Bulgaria work together to tackle organised crime and illegal migration, strengthening the border security of both countries. “And together we are determined to continue doing all we can to disrupt and dismantle the people smuggling networks profiting from misery, wherever and however they operate.” https://ow.ly/b7rg50Ty8q4

U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) recently announced the validity period of border overflight exemptions will be extended to three years instead of the previous two-year term. The new validity period began with first-time and requests to renew exemptions in mid-September.

Porous border: A threat to Nigeria national security and economic stability In a study conducted by SBM intelligence on proliferation of arms in Nigeria, it was revealed that there were up to 6,145,000 small arms in the hands of non-state actors in Nigeria. This statistic implies that there is at least one gun for every 35 Nigerians. It was also revealed that although the Nigeria has 84 approved borders, there were over 1400 illegal routes of entering the country. This account for why terrorism, drug trafficking, human trafficking and smuggling of weapons thrive in Nigeria. Although Nigeria is not facing any significant threat to it territorial land borders, but the lack of adequate security in this border have increased the activity of non state actors in the country. A lot of compromise and breaches disturbing the country peace have been linked to the importation of arms into the country. Porous border is one of the major contributing factors that hinder the objective of subsidy, as economic sabatour illegally exports subsidised oil to other country, which makes the project expensive for government and not sustainable. The implication of porous borders cannot be overemphasised, as it not just a threat to national security, but also contributes significant risk to economic stability. To ensure sufficient secured border, the role of customs should be well defined. Customs should only be responsible for border protection not, collection of imports and exports duties. Another angency of government should be responsible for the collection of revenue. The major benefit of this framework is transparency in revenue collection as regards to custom duties, as each agency data will generate it own data, assessment and review will done through comparison to ensure correlation and efficiency . With 86 official land borders and 14 seaports borders in Nigeria strengthening the existing security within the borders is key to internal security. It is imperative for the government to coordinate the efforts of several security agencies around the border to ensure maximum security of the country. Alao Ridwan, ACA.

The Politsei- ja Piirivalveamet - Police and Border Guard Board (PPA) will close the #Narva-1 border crossing point on Saturday (June 22) and Sunday (June 23) due to lengthy queues. It will not be possible to leave the country through the crossing, but it will still be possible to return to #Estonia. Eerik Purgel, the head of the border guard office of the eastern prefecture, said the Russian border guard's significantly slower-than-usual processing has led to large queues of people forming on Thursday and Friday on the bridge between the two countries. "The number of border crossers has been normal yesterday and today, and the PPA has been working at a normal pace, but border crossers have to wait for a long time on the Narva Bridge to get to Russia. We therefore closed the border crossing earlier than usual yesterday to protect people's health and safety," he said. The PPA said the number of people waiting can reach a dangerous limit and poses a threat to public order. It may also be hard for people to find accommodation in the city if they cannot cross before the border shuts at 11 p.m. Due to these factors, the PPA decided to close the border for the weekend. "Unfortunately, there are no indications that Russia's border control activities will improve in the near future. In this context, the border crossing point will remain closed on the outbound side over the weekend and we advise people to cross the border in southern Estonia. We will monitor the situation and decide on further actions," Purgel added. The queue at the border in Narva on June 21, 2024. Author Dmitri Fedotkin/ERR On Friday evening, Minister of Interior Lauri Läänemets (SDE) said people are still waiting to cross the border. "There is a queue at the bridge, where around 500 people are waiting to get into Russia. Really, there is no queue behind the border crossing. But there is no reason to think that this situation will change tomorrow. The Russians for some reason are very slow in letting people over to their side, i.e. preventing people from moving," he told ERR. The minister says this is further proof of the Russian authorities' unpredictability. "The Russian border guards have failed to ensure normal border traffic on their side. Overly time-consuming customs and border procedures also prevent normal border traffic for its own citizens, resulting in artificial queues and a situation where some Russian citizens cannot get home at night. In this situation, our aim is to prevent any problems at the border crossing point, in the interests of both the peace of the local population and the well-being of the border crossers themselves. We have therefore decided to close the border crossing point for a few days. We also continue to advise people to avoid traveling to Russia in general," said the minister. https://lnkd.in/dc7yR9FA

During the panel discussion on countering serious organized crime, drugs, SALW (small arms and light weapons), and smuggling at the just concluded World Border Security Congress (WBSC) in Istanbul - Turkey, I brought to light the pressing issue of border security and illicit trade in Nigeria, amplifying the urgency of addressing these challenges. I delved into the intricate web of trans-border crimes flourishing due to porous borders and Nigeria Customs Service efforts in combating this menace. These borders have become breeding grounds for illicit trade, including drug trafficking, arms smuggling, and contraband trafficking. By emphasizing the nexus between porous borders and organized crime, I stressed the imperative need for robust border security measures to curb these activities effectively. Furthermore, I elucidated the detrimental impact of illicit trade on both local communities and the national level. The unchecked flow of illegal goods not only perpetuates criminal enterprises but also exacerbates socioeconomic disparities, destabilizes communities, and poses significant security threats. In proposing solutions, I advocated for a comprehensive approach that encompasses stringent law enforcement efforts alongside initiatives addressing the underlying causes of illicit trade. This entails investing in border infrastructure and advanced technology, fostering inter-agency collaboration and intelligence-sharing mechanisms, and implementing community engagement programs to empower local populations and mitigate the root causes of crime.