Operation “White Snow”, directed against drug crime, has come to an end. In the operation involving the Central Bureau of Police Investigation (CBŚP), 83 people were detained and 12 tonnes of drugs worth more than one billion euros were confiscated. The services also dismantled two drug production laboratories, a cannabis plantation and seized 160 firearms and over 10,000 rounds of ammunition.

“The ‘White Snow’ project was implemented on the initiative of the CBŚP and the Italian Central Directorate for Drug Services with the participation of the European Projects Service Centre of the Ministry of the Interior and Administration. It was directed at the implementation of international activities in the field of combating organised drug crime, with particular emphasis on the recognition of new routes and methods of cocaine smuggling”, says CBŚP spokesperson Sub-Inspector Iwona Jurkiewicz.

The project included meetings in Madrid and Naples, with the participation of services from Poland, Italy, Spain, Lithuania, Colombia, the Netherlands, Sweden, representatives of Europol, Frontex, the Centre for Analysis and Maritime Operations and European platforms against organised drug crime.

The meetings were specifically dedicated to strengthening the dynamics of the response to the drug crime threat, as well as further cooperation at tactical, expert and training levels.

Within the framework of ‘White Snow’, training sessions were organised, during which Polish and foreign officers improved their ability to conduct operations with cryptocurrencies in illegal drug trafficking, as well as their ability to conduct operations with the use of drones.

Project White Snow has formally ended, but further international operations by the services are planned, including a project with the working code name ‘Emerald’, which will deal with combating the production and smuggling of ‘cannabis’ products. The operations are due to begin in November.

Arkadiusz Słomczyński