On 19 March 2011 in Henri Coanda International Airport, in the presence of police principal quaestor Marian Tutilescu, head of Schengen Department within the Ministry of Administration and Interior and Mr. Bernard Welten, chief constable of the Dutch Police Force Amsterdam - Amstelland from the Kingdom of the Netherlands in Romania, the inauguration of body scanners donated by the Embassy of the Netherlands in Bucharest within a joint project took place.
Her Excellency Tanya Van Gool, Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary Ambassador of the Kingdom of the Netherlands in Bucharest and police principal quaestor Ioan BUDA, head of the General Inspectorate of Romanian Border Police were also present at the event.
The endowment with body scanners contributes to the prevention and countering of illegal drug trafficking through Henri Coanda and Aurel Vlaicu Baneasa airports, two important entrance gates to Romania, the European Union and future Schengen area.
The body scanning of persons suspected of detaining drugs ensures the possibility of identification on the spot of drug traffickers who use as method of introduction in the country narcotic substances by ingesting them in their own bodies.
Another important objective aimed at is strengthening the internal cooperation between the General Inspectorate of Border Police and its directly subordinated structures with General Inspectorate of Romanian Police, as well as with other border authorities and law enforcement agencies within E.U. and Schengen area, through information exchange and specific risk analysis.
Background information:
In 2006 the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Kingdom of the Netherlands and the Ministry of Administration and Interior of Romania concluded a Memorandum of Financing, amounting to a total value of 446.000 Euro, for the implementation of a project of countering drug trafficking through body scanning in the airports Henry Coanda and Aurel Vlaicu Bucharest.
Information contained in the Memorandum:
project: improving possibilities of identifying on the spot the drug traffickers by means of body scanning in Henri Coanda and Aurel Vlaicu international airports of Bucharest; financing source: sponsorship offered to M.A.I. by the Embassy of the Kingdom of the Netherlands according to the Memorandum of Financing; sponsorship value: 446.000 Euro; procurement object: 2 body scanners; beneficiary structure: General Inspectorate of Border Police (Henri Coanda Otopeni and Aurel Vlaicu Baneasa Airport B.C.P.s).For the use of the two scanners in optimal conditions, in the Border Police locations in Henri Coanda Airport B.C.P. and Aurel Vlaicu Airport B.C.P. Antidrug Radiology Laboratories were set up and were further authorized by the Ministry of Health and by the National Committee for the Control of Nuclear Activities, according to the provisions of Law 111/1996 on the safe performance, regulation, authorization and control of nuclear activities and the Fundamental Specific Norms of Radiologic Security.
The G.I.B.P. signed a cooperation protocol with Gerota Hospital based on which the latter grants through its radiology ward permanent additional specialty assistance.
Representative case:
A Bulgarian
citizen, who introduced in the country approximately one kilogram
of ingested cocaine, was detected in flagranti within the premises
of Henri Coanda Airport Otopeni, by policemen of the Directorate
for Countering Organized Crime - G.I.R.P. and border policemen
within Henri Coanda B.C.P.
Antidrug policemen within the Brigade for Countering Organized
Crime carry out investigations under the coordination of
prosecutors from the Directorate for Investigating Organized Crime
and Terrorism - Central Structure on international trafficking with
high risk drugs.
On December 6, 2010, officers within the Directorate for Countering
Organized Crime - Antidrug Unit, following the cooperation with
policemen within the Directorate for Countering Organized Crime
from Bulgaria established that on Henri Coanda International
Airport - Otopeni two citizens suspected of carrying ingested drugs
are about to arrive.
On Henri Coanda Airport B.C.P. two Bulgarian citizens (one female
aged 42 and one female aged 47) intended to enter the country
travelling from the Dominican Republic, via Frankfurt.
Following the performance of the border formalities, a team made up
of policemen from Directorate for Countering Organized Crime -
Antidrug Unit and border policemen within Henri Coanda B.C.P.
carried out a check on the two persons and their luggage.
As there were suspicions that they were transporting prohibited
substances in their stomach, they were escorted to Travelers'
Customs Bureau Otopeni, where they had their luggage checked. Upon
check prohibited substances were detected and for this reason they
were further subject to an X-ray control with the device in the
endowment of the Border Police within Henri Coanda International
Airport. Thus in the man's stomach 90 capsules of cocaine amounting
to 10 g. each were detected.
Both Bulgarian citizens were taken over by policemen within
Directorate for Countering Organized Crime - Antidrug Unit, for
further investigations, being transported to the Floreasca
Emergency Hospital for specialty expertise of the capsules.
Based on the evidences, the detainment of the man A.M., aged 47,
was disposed, for having committed the crime of illegal trafficking
with high risk drugs, a crime foreseen and punished by Law
143/2000. Prosecutors within the Directorate for Investigating
Organized Crime and Terrorism proposed to the Bucharest Court of
Law the preventive arrest of the defendant for a period of 29
days.