Dakar is currently hosting a major international seminar on container targeting and control, organized under the joint auspices of the European Union, the French Embassy in Dakar, and Senegal’s Customs Administration. The event brings together participants from 14 African countries, alongside key international partners in the fight against maritime illicit trafficking. Among them are Colombia, the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), and the SEACOP project, which focuses on maritime cooperation.
According to an information note circulated at the event, the primary objective of the seminar is to strengthen international cooperation in response to the growing challenges posed by illicit goods trafficking, in anticipation of a major upcoming international operation known as « Shark. » This operation aims to intensify port controls across participating countries to disrupt the trafficking of narcotics, counterfeit medicines, and protected species of flora and fauna.
Senegal is represented by the Joint Container Control Unit (UMCC), the country’s leading force in tackling transnational organized crime via maritime routes. The official opening of the seminar was presided over by the Director of Customs Operations, representing the Director General of Senegalese Customs.
In his remarks, Ousmane Kane, Director of Customs Operations, emphasized the increasing reliance of traffickers on maritime transport. « It allows the concealment of large quantities of prohibited goods under the guise of high-volume international trade, exploiting the difficulties some states face in effectively monitoring their borders, » he explained. This growing threat is evident in the record seizures made by Senegalese Customs in 2024, valued at 226 billion CFA francs—fifty times higher than the previous year.
Also speaking at the event, Mr. Casas (European Union) and Éric Wiart (French Embassy in Dakar) praised the relevance of the initiative and reaffirmed their institutions’ commitment to supporting partner administrations in the context of Operation Shark.
The seminar also includes a practical field visit to the Autonomous Port of Dakar, allowing participants to observe firsthand the targeting and intervention mechanisms implemented by the UMCC.
Source: leral
