The two-day closed-door meeting brings together various UNODC experts and officials from twelve government agencies including law enforcement, financial intelligence, and regulators from Lao PDR, Malaysia, the Philippines and Thailand to take stock of the evolving situation and recent trends and developments while also serving as a venue for sharing information, strengthening inter-agency networks, and discussing regional challenges and solutions.

In an effort to address transnational organized crime and underground banking associated with casinos and cyberscams, the UNODC Regional Office for Southeast Asia and the Pacific held a coordination meeting with authorities from several Southeast Asian countries.

Our meeting aims to enhance awareness and coordination, and to create a basis for developing effective solutions.”

“This presents significant challenges for investigators and criminal justice systems in the region. “Criminal networks in Southeast Asia, and particularly the Mekong, have been extremely effective in using technology to expand their revenue streams and create an underground banking infrastructure capable of moving massive volumes of money and various cryptocurrencies undetected”, stated UNODC Deputy Regional Representative, Benedikt Hofmann, during his opening remarks to participating agencies. Thousands have also been trafficked into the lucrative industries for work, and many more have lost vast amounts of money being funneled into the hands of criminal groups who have made the region their base of operations. UNODC Deputy Regional Representative, Benedikt Hofmann, opens the meeting, commenting on the importance of authorities convening to take stock of the situation and consider solutions.īangkok (Thailand), 26 September 2023 – Online casinos, cyberscams and related underground banking operations run by transnational organized crime groups have proliferated across Southeast Asia and become a significant and growing problem, particularly in the Mekong region and the Philippines where many have been established.

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