Cooperation

Cybercrime, including for the online trafficking of synthetic drugs, is often a transnational process with buyers, suppliers and computer servers located in separate jurisdictions. For this reason, cooperation, both within national law enforcement agencies and between States, is essential to effectively counter online trafficking. It is important for States and law enforcement agencies to build a network of competent actors that complement each other with different perspectives and knowledge of how to detect, investigate and deter online trafficking. It takes a network to defeat a network.

Various types of cooperation are required to build a strong strategy to counter online trafficking.

 

Inter-agency cooperation

Sharing information, intelligence and evidence between law enforcement agencies that focus on different aspects of the crime (drug trafficking or cybercrime) for the purpose of targeting and investigating online trafficking cases, increases the probability of identifying criminal activity.

 
Bilateral cooperation

Sharing information, intelligence and evidence between States, for instance relating to darknet markets, trafficking routes and supply and demand mentioned on darknet and open forums, ensures a coordinated response to target the flow of illicit substances across borders.

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Regional and international cooperation

Participating in regional and international organisations for the purpose of discussing, developing, and strengthening international legal and policy frameworks is important for enhancing international and regional coordination of the prevention and countering of online trafficking in synthetic drugs.

 
Public-private partnerships

Engagement with the private sector is essential for sharing information about trends, analysis, and other knowledge. Given that technological development evolves at a rapid pace, it is essential to remain vigilant to counter the misuse of these advancements. Cooperation and a sound legal framework are especially important in terms of requesting information between law enforcement agencies and internet service providers.

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The UNODC Global Programme on Cybercrime works to strengthen cooperation mechanisms and synergies between law enforcement agencies and relevant international organizations to improve cybercrime investigations.

The Global Programme works with:

  • International and regional law enforcement agencies such as Europol and Interpol
  • Non-governmental organizations such as the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (USA), the International Centre for Missing and Exploited Children and the Internet Watch Foundation
  • Private sector companies and foundations such as Chainalysis, Microsoft, Kaspersky, Facebook, Instagram, Shadowsever and Trendmicro
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How to approach internet service providers

To build the capacity of investigators and prosecutors worldwide, UNODC, the United Nations Counter-Terrorism Committee Executive Directorate (CTED) and the International Association of Prosecutors (IAP), have jointly published a Practical Guide for Requesting Electronic Evidence Across Borders. The guide is available to Member States criminal justice officials through UNODC's SHERLOC Portal, a knowledge management platform that allows the sharing of electronic resources on crime and legislation.

UNODC Mutual Legal Assistance Writer Tool

UNODC maintains Online Directories of Competent National Authorities for mutual legal assistance.

UNODC also has a tool to write mutual legal assistance requests

Working Group on International Cooperation

An open-ended working group on international cooperation was established by the Conference of Parties to the United Nations Convention against Transitional Organized Crime decision 3/2 and resolution 8/1. The working group is intended for States to share good practice and lessons learned with respect to international cooperation and to strengthen relationships among government experts, especially practitioners.