On 11 April 2014, Secretary General Kunio Mikuriya presided over a press conference in Dakar, Senegal announcing the final outcomes of the WCO-led Operation COCAIR IV which took place between 28 October and 3 November 2013. This Operation was a joint effort between Customs, police and other law enforcement agencies to fight against the trafficking of cocaine by air from Latin America towards Europe, using Africa as transit.

The Secretary General was joined by the Director General of Senegal Customs, Mr. Gningue, who organized the Conference, and by Mr. Dos Santos, Chargé d'Affaires at the Delegation of the EU to Senegal (representing the biggest donor), Mr. Lapaque, Head of UNODC for West and Central Africa and Mr. Wagner, Interpol Customs-Police Coordinator, all of whom had contributed to the successful outcome of Operation COCAIR IV.

Thanks to the cumulative effects of training sessions, information-sharing and coordination between Customs and Police under the Joint Airport Interdiction Task Forces (JAITF) Project, the seizure record of the past four COCAIR operations has doubled each time since 2008.

Secretary General Mikuriya took the opportunity to meet with Senegal’s Minister of Trade, Mr. Alioune Sarr, to discuss implementation issues related to the WTO Agreement on Trade Facilitation and regional integration. Minister Sarr confirmed the good relationship which existed between Senegal’s Ministry of Trade and its Customs Administration, with the former chairing the national sub-committee on trade negotiations and the latter chairing the national sub-committee on trade facilitation. Mr. Mikuriya also met the Budget Minister, Mr. Mouhamadou Makhtar Cissé, who as former Director General of Customs continues to support Customs modernization.