The CSTO agreed on a plan for the operation of "Nelegal-2019"

On January 31, 2019, a meeting of the International Headquarters of the regional operation of the CSTO Nelegal was held at the CSTO Secretariat. It was attended by Deputy Secretary General of the CSTO Peter Tikhonovsky , delegations of all CSTO member states, as well as observers from the CIS Antiterrorist Center, the Council of Heads of Financial Intelligence Units, the Coordination Service of the Council of Commanders of the Border Troops. 

   At the beginning of the meeting of the International Headquarters, the participants summed up the operation in the CSTO space last year. 

   In particular, it was noted that in 2018, measures to counter illegal migration in the format of the Organization were organized for the first time and held in the status of a permanent regional operation of the CSTO member states, the Statute of which was approved during the session of the CSC CSTO on November 30, 2017. 

   It was also stressed that the conduct of Operation Nelegal contributed to the stabilization of the migration situation in the territory of the CSTO member states, the suppression of the channels of illegal migration and other illegal acts related to migration processes, as well as strengthening collective security in general. 

   As a result of the coordinated actions of the competent authorities of the CSTO member states in the course of “Nelegal-2018”, over 143 thousand violations of migration legislation were identified, over 3.5 thousand criminal cases were initiated for organizing illegal migration. In the course of the events, 443 persons who were on the international wanted list were detained, as well as 399 suspicious financial transactions made by foreign citizens in the amount exceeding 2 million US dollars. In addition, during the operation 2,665 criminal cases related to drug trafficking, 238 cases for illegal crossing of the state border and 30 cases for crimes of an extremist and terrorist nature were initiated. 

   In the course of the next meeting, the dates for holding events in the current year were agreed upon and the Operational Plan under the code name “Nelegal-2019” was substantively discussed. 

   Following the meeting, it was decided to submit the agreed Plan of carrying out Operation Nelegal 2019 for signature to the Acting Secretary General of the CSTO Valery Semerikov and the Chairman of the Coordination Council of the Heads of Competent Authorities of the CSTO Member States on Combating Nelegal Migration to the First Deputy Minister of the Interior of the Russian Federation Alexander Gorovoy .