The employees of the Operations and Investigation Department of the State Customs Committee (SCC) successfully participated in the training sessions held by the European Union (EU) Law Enforcement Training Agency (CEPOL) in Budapest, the capital of Hungary and in Bucharest, the capital of Romania, on June 6–10 and June 27–July 1, 2022. Selecting and participation of the employees of Azerbaijani customs service bodies in the training organized within the framework of the "Training and Operational Partnership against Organized Crime” (TOPCOP) project planned by CEPOL for Eastern Partnership (EaP) countries, which is funded by the European Union (EU) and covers the 2020-2024 years, in which Azerbaijan also participates was carried out through the Academy of the State Customs Committee.  

The goal of the subregional (for Azerbaijan and Moldova) training course on the topic "Illegal drug trafficking - synthetic drugs" held on June 27 - July 1 was to develop understanding of the investigative capabilities of law enforcement agencies in the field of drug trafficking by demonstrating successful examples of multi-partner approaches at national, sub-regional and international levels in line with the EU Serious and Organized Crime Threat Assessment (SOCTA 2021). Five employees of Operations and Investigation Department of the State Customs Committee were involved in the training program through the Customs Academy.

In accordance with the training agenda, on June 27, Gunar Mammadov, the head of the Foreign Relations Department of the Operations and Investigation Department of the State Customs Committee, presented to the participants of the training the progressive experience of the successful fight provided by the customs service of Azerbaijan against the illegal circulation of drugs and synthetic drugs. The training course was conducted by reputable experts from Romania, Great Britain, the Netherlands, Poland, Hungary, and the World Customs Organization, based on practical experiences and simulations. On the last day of the training, the participants were awarded with certificates.

Another CEPOL TOPCOP sub-regional (Azerbaijan, Georgia, Moldova) training course with the participation of the employees of the Azerbaijani customs service on the topic "Cross-border cooperation, illegal migration, interview methods in accordance with human rights" was held in Budapest, the capital of Hungary on June 6-10, 2022. In particular, the main topic of training organized for law enforcement officers fighting against organized crime within the framework of cross-border cooperation was illegal immigration, human rights standards when interrogating people involved in it, as well as illegal migrants. Three employees of the Operations and Investigation Department of the State Customs Committee selected by the Customs Academy successfully participated in the training, completed the course and were awarded with certificates.

It should be noted that since May 2021, the Academy has been working with TOPCOP as a partner and coordinating institution to enhance the capacity development of customs training and capabilities in the field of customs in Azerbaijan. The national coordinating body of the project is the Ministry of Internal Affairs (MIA) of the Republic of Azerbaijan. Within the framework of the project, two coordinators have been appointed to strengthen the personnel potential in TOPCOP project areas in Azerbaijan in two institutions - the Academy of SCC and the Police Academy of MIA. As a result of the TOPCOP partnership of the Customs Academy, the employees of the customs service bodies of Azerbaijan gained the right to participate in various courses, modules, seminars, webinars and trainings implemented within the framework of project.