PARAMARIBO, Suriname, Jul 31, CMC – The United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNDOC) could establish an airport control unit operational at the Johan Adolf Pengel International Airport here if Suriname submits a request following the evaluation of the Container Control Pprogramme, which has been active here for the past 14 years.
A delegation from the UNODC is on a working visit to evaluate the programme which was established more than a decade ago following the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between Suriname and the UN organization.
The project focuses on combating drug trafficking, firearms smuggling, trade in counterfeit goods, illegal medical products, wildlife smuggling, and terrorism, among other things.
The evaluation is being led by program management officer Bo Shakira Harris, who is holding discussions with various national stakeholders, including the Suriname Security Service, the Suriname Police Force, Customs, the Minister of Justice and Police, the Port Control Unit and the United States Embassy.
The state-owned Suriname Communication Service (CDS) said that the UNODC delegation has also officially handed over two mobile handheld scanners to be used for scanning sea containers and is intended to further increase the operational capability of the Port Control Unit.
According to the President’s Security Advisor, Mark Karg, the evaluation of the programme is central and that the Container Control Programme is an important instrument in the fight against cross-border crime. Karg said that smaller ISPS-certified seaports will also be more explicitly involved in the new approach.
“We have observed that various smaller ports have operated under the radar for years and that contraband has taken place there,” he said, adding that the ports will be scrutinized and, where necessary, adapted to national security regulations and international maritime regulations.
In the Caribbean region, the Container Control Programme is also operational in Guyana, Jamaica, the Dominican Republic, and Barbados and CDS said that in the coming weeks, Suriname, the UNODC, and regional partners will conduct joint training and control activities to further strengthen the approach to cross-border crime.
CMC//a/g/ir/2026