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Transnational Organized Crime in the Pacific

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Transnational Organized Crime in the Pacific Transnational Organized Crime in the Pacific: A Threat Assessment September 2016 Copyright © 2016, United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC). This publication may be reproduced in whole or in part and in any form for educational or non-profit purposes without special permission from the copyright holder, provided acknowledgement of the source is made. UNODC would appreciate receiving a copy of any publication that uses this publication as a source. Acknowledgements This study was conducted by the UNODC Regional Office for Southeast Asia and the Pacific (ROSEAP) at the Division for Operations (DO), with research support of the UNODC Studies and Threat Analysis Section (STAS), Division for Policy Analysis and Public Affairs (DPA). UNODC thanks the Pacific Islands Forum Secretariat (PIFS) for the support provided throughout the development of the report. The preparation of the report was financially supported by the Government of Australia and the Government of New Zealand. The preparation of this report would not have been possible without data and information reported by governments, the PIFS and other regional organizations to UNODC. UNODC is particularly thankful to government and law enforcement officials consulted during the development of the report. UNODC Team Jeremy Douglas (Regional Representative), Inshik Sim (Information Analyst), Brendan Quinn (Consultant), Brian Lee (Regional Programme Adviser), Tun Nay Soe (Regional Coordinator, Global SMART Programme), Giovanni Broussard (Regional Coordinator, Global Programme for Combating Wildlife and Forest Crime), Benjamin Smith (Regional Coordinator, Human Trafficking/Smuggling of Migrants) and Akara Umapornsakula (Graphic Designer). The study benefited from the valuable input of many UNODC staff members at headquarters who reviewed various sections of this report. Disclaimer This report has not been formally edited. The contents of this publication do not necessarily reflect the views or policies of UNODC, Member States, or contributory organizations, and neither do they imply any endorsement. The designations employed and the presentation of the material in this publication do not imply the expression of any opinion whatsoever on the part of UNODC or the Secretariat of the United Nations concerning the legal status of any country, territory, city or area or of its authorities, or concerning the delimitation of its frontiers or boundaries. UNODC acknowledges the contribution of the Government of Australia and the Government of New Zealand. UNITED NATIONS OFFICE ON DRUGS AND CRIME Southeast Asia and the Pacific Transnational Organized Crime in the Pacific: A Threat Assessment Table of Contents Abbreviations & Acronyms ................................................................................................................i Executive Summary......................................................................................................................... iii Introduction .................................................................................................................................... 3 Methodology ................................................................................................................................. 13 The flows ....................................................................................................................................... 17 Drug and precursor trafficking ��������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������17 Trafficking in persons & smuggling of migrants �������������������������������������������������������������������������������35 Environmental crimes ���������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������47 Trafficking of small arms �����������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������63 Other transnational crimes �������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������71 Recommendations for response .................................................................................................... 77 Conclusion ..................................................................................................................................... 85 Bibliography .................................................................................................................................. 89 Appendices ................................................................................................................................. 103 Abbreviations & Acronyms AIC Australian Institute of Criminology AFMA Australian Fisheries Management Authority AFP Australian Federal Police AFZ Australian Fishing Zone ANCD Australian National Council on Drugs ARQ Annual Reports Questionnaire ATS Amphetamine-type stimulant/s BBVI Blood-borne viral infection BZP Benzylpiperazine CIA Central Intelligence Agency CITES Convention on the International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Flora and Fauna CPI Corruption Perception Index CSA Child sexual abuse CSEC Commercial sexual exploitation of children DAINAP Drug Abuse Information Network for Asia and the Pacific End Child Prostitution, Child Pornography and Trafficking of Children for Sexual Purposes ECPAT (non-profit organisation/global network) EEZ Exclusive Economic Zone EMCDDA European Monitoring for Drugs and Drug Addiction ESCAP (United Nations) Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific EU European Union FAO Food and Agriculture Organization (of the United Nations) FFA Forum Fisheries Agency FRSC Forum Regional Security Committee GDP Gross Domestic Product Ha Hectare/s HHS Household survey HIV Human immunodeficiency virus IUU Illicit, unregulated and unreported (fishing activities/crimes) Kg Kilogram/s NGO Non-government organisation NPS New psychoactive substance/s NTSA Niue Treaty Subsidiary Agreement NZPOL New Zealand Police OMCG (Australian) Outlaw Motorcycle Gang P2P Phenyl-2-Propanone PDARN Pacific Drug and Alcohol Research Network PICP Pacific Islands Chiefs of Police PICT Pacific Islands Country/Territory PIDC Pacific Immigration Directors’ Conference PIFS Pacific Islands Forum Secretariat PILON Pacific Islands Law Officers’ Network i PSAAG Pacific Small Arms Action Group PTCCC Pacific Transnational Crime Coordination Centre PTCN Pacific Transnational Crime Network RAMSI Regional Assistance Mission to the Solomon Islands RFMO Regional Fishery Management Organisation RSIPF Royal Solomon Islands Police Force SIFIU Solomon Islands Financial Intelligence Unit SMART Synthetics Monitoring: Analyses, Reporting and Trends (Programme) SPC Secretariat of the Pacific Community SPREP Secretariat of the Pacific Regional Environment Programme SS School survey STI Sexually-transmitted infection TCU Transnational Crime Unit TIP Trafficking in Persons TOCTA Transnational Organized Crime Threat Assessment UNDP United Nations Development Programme UNESCAP United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific UNICEF United Nations Children’s Fund UNODC United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime UNSCAR United Nations Trust Facility Supporting Cooperation on Arms Regulation VMS Vessel Monitoring System VRS-MSRC Voluntary Reporting System on Migrant Smuggling and Related Conduct WCPFC Western and Central Pacific Fisheries Commission WTTC World Travel & Tourism Council WWF World Wide Fund For Nature (also known as World Wildlife Fund) ii Executive Summary This report presents major threats posed by transnational organized crime in the Pacific region, mainly focusing on the Pacific Island Countries and Territories (PICTs). Based on consultations with the Pacific Island Forum Secretariat (PIFS) and information obtained from desk reviews conducted by UNODC, this report focuses on four major types of transnational organized crime affecting the Pacific region: • Drug and precursor trafficking; • Trafficking in persons & smuggling of migrants; • Environmental crimes (fishery crime and other wildlife trafficking & illegal logging and timber trafficking); and • Small arms trafficking. In addition to the major four types of transnational crime, the report also includes some information on the trafficking of counterfeit goods, including fraudulent medicines, and cybercrime to shed light on emerging threats in the region. The four major illicit flows discussed in the report are different sorts of illicit activities, yet they all pose immense challenges to the region. There are strong indications that the PICTs are increasingly targeted by transnational organized crime groups due to their susceptibility to illicit flows driven by several factors. These include (a) the geographical location of the PICTs situated between major sources and destinations of illicit commodities; (b) extensive and porous jurisdictional boundaries; and (c) differences in governance and heterogeneity in general law enforcement capacity across numerous PICTs and the region in general. These complexities also underscore the inherent difficulties in detecting, monitoring, preventing and responding to transnational organized crimes in the region. In this context, transnational criminal activities continue to increase throughout the Pacific and have detrimental impacts on communities, sustainable economic development and regional security. At a regional level and across all transnational organized crime types discussed in this report, a fundamental
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