PGS Operation SECURE HORIZON Southeast European Customs administrations to counter IED threat

19 Customs administrations from South-East Europe, the Baltic and the Balkans, participated in WCO Programme Global Shield (PGS) Operation SECURE HORIZON, a regional operational exercise focused on explosive precursors and additional IED components, and supported by the Regional Liaison Office for East and Central Europe (RILO ECE) and the US Defence Threat Reduction Agency (DTRA).

The goal of the two weeks operation conducted in September 2024 was to enhance risk assessment and controls of the licit movements of these substances, that are increasingly used by criminals to manufacture Improvised Explosive Devices (IED), and to cooperate with other law enforcement to counter their illicit diversion and trafficking. Most participating countries included police and other border agencies in the Operation. Explosive precursors are legally available on the market, although commercial sellers and buyers may be requested to obtain licences, including end-user certificates, to certify the final use of the products.

Customs administrations play a crucial role in ensuring these materials are traded legally, and in stemming their illicit diversion and trafficking.

During the operation, comprehensive checks were carried out on 636 licit shipments made up a total of 18.62 tonnes in exports and 36.18 tonnes in imports of the targeted 15 most used precursor chemicals. This included background checks being conducted on companies and stakeholders to ensure legal usage of the material.

A total of 280 seizures were reported during the Operation, made up of 40 litres of chemical pesticides, currency totalling 670,193 USD, 1,500 shotguns, two cases of illicit trade in conventional weapons and ultrasonic detection devices, three drones, excise goods including 22 million cigarettes and 31,000 kgs of raw tobacco, counterfeit and other prohibited goods, drugs and pharmaceutical products.

In one case, Polish Customs discovered two 50-litre unlabelled jerry cans in a truck coming from Slovakia. The jerry cans had not been declared and were discovered concealed in a floor compartment of the truck. Raman spectrometer analysis revealed that they contained an emamectin mixture containing the precursor chemical calcium ammonium nitrate. An investigation is ongoing.