Specialized Trainings for the Drug Detecting Dog Centres

The United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) in the Islamic Republic of Iran organized a five-day advanced training course on “Searching Method of Illicit Drugs with Use of Trained Dogs”. This training was organized with cooperation of the Central Customs Canine Training Centre of the Federal Customs Service of the Russian Federation, which is a World Customs Organization (WCO) Regional Dog Training Centre, in Moscow Region. This specialized training was held for experts and officers from the Drug Control Headquarters, Anti-Narcotics Police, and Customs Administration of the Islamic Republic of Iranian, in Moscow – Russia, on 22-26 January 2024.

The UNODC Iran has been actively present in the Islamic Republic of Iran since 1999 and considers Iran as one of the strategic partners for drug control and crime prevention in the region and has been supporting the Islamic Republic of Iran by providing technical assistance and training for years ever since its establishment. UNODC Iran also has the history of cooperation with the governments of the Russian Federation, as a major donor of its activities, and this training was among a series of trainings held in the Russian Federation and in the Islamic Republic of Iran, with support of Russian experts and senior instructors.

The comprehensive curriculum of this training encompassed theoretical topics and lesson (seminar) on various topics regarding drug detecting dogs.  In addition to various lectures and specialized seminars and classes envisaged under the curriculum of this training, practical visits, trainings and demonstrations were foreseen for the members of the delegation, which significantly enriched the courses, and complemented the theoretical section. The delegation also visited different sections of the centre including the veterinary ward.

On the third day of the event a visit to Sheremetyevo airport was arranged in which various restricted access sections of the airport, including passenger areas, Customs check, luggage transfer and canine unit stationed at this airport were shown to the participants.

On the fourth day of the event there was a round table headed by Mr. Cherkavsky, head of the Central Customs Canine Training Centre of the Federal Customs Service of the Russian Federation, in which the Iranian delegation had presentations and share their knowledge, also asked their questions regarding structure, staffing, equipment and other technical aspects of management of the centre.

 In a message, the UNODC Iran Country Representative, Mr. Alexander Fedulov, hoped that this specialized training which was among a series of activities organized under generous funding of the Russian Federation, would be beneficial to participants and highlighted the importance of global cooperation to fight the menace of drugs. In his message, Mr. Fedulov reiterated the importance of global support to the drug control activities in the Islamic Republic of Iran, considering the geographical location of Iran, bordering with Afghanistan as the main producer of Opium and Methamphetamine.

At graduation ceremony, certificates were handed over to the participants from the Islamic Republic of Iran by the head of the Central Customs Canine Training Centre of the Federal Customs Service of the Russian Federation, Mr. Cherkavsky. In this event he expressed his willingness to continue cooperation with UNODC and government of the Islamic Republic of Iran in the future for further cooperation and knowledge sharing.

This five-day specialized training was made possible with generous funding received from the Russian Federation, and invaluable support and coordination extended to UNODC from the Russian Embassy in Tehran.

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For additional information please contact

Amir Hossein Vaziri (Mr.), Programme Associate.

UNODC Country Office in the Islamic Republic of Iran Tel.: +98 21 88 87 83- 77,

emails: Amirhossein.vaziri@un.org