Twenty representatives from the Transport Police of the Ministry of Internal Affairs, the State Frontier Service, the State Customs Service, and the Aviation Security Service of the State Service "Türkmenhowaýollary" participated in an OSCE-organized training course on risk analysis in smuggling crimes and search techniques at airports, which took place from 3 to 7 August 2026 in Ashgabat.
The OSCE Centre in Ashgabat, jointly with the Turkish International Academy against Smuggling and Organized Crime (TADOC), organized this training activity to equip participants with the knowledge and skills necessary to effectively interdict smuggling at airports.
Experts from TADOC introduced participants to methods and strategies in anti-smuggling, expanding on risk assessment and the profiling of flights, passengers, cargo, and luggage. Participants discussed methods for identifying suspicious passenger behaviors, conducting passenger profiling from the entrance to the exit gate, and learning how to effectively interview and interrogate suspicious passengers.
In his opening speech, William Leaf, Head of the OSCE Centre in Ashgabat, referred to the Tirana Declaration on Strengthening Co-operation in Countering Transnational Organized Crime (MC.DOC/1/20 of 4 December 2020), which underscores the importance of strengthening national coordination and international cooperation in countering transnational organized crime.
"This training event clearly demonstrates that the OSCE and its participating States have translated the political commitments of the Tirana Declaration into concrete and practical support," said William Leaf.
"All our efforts validate the same message: that the exchange of experience and cooperation across the region are instrumental when addressing transnational organized crime," he added.
The training course also covered travel document examination techniques, search tools, and methods for recognizing common drug concealment tactics. A practical exercise at Ashgabat International Airport provided participants with an opportunity to apply comprehensive and systematic search techniques in practice.
