A week-long Narcotics Investigations Course concluded on May 3, 2024, in Koror, Palau. The course, facilitated by the United States Indo-Pacific Command, Joint Interagency Task Force-West (JIATF-West), provided intensive training to Palauan law enforcement personnel on combating the rise in methamphetamine smuggling in the region.
The course included instruction from the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP), U.S. Postal Inspection Service (USPIS), Air Force Office of Special Investigations (OSI), and Naval Criminal Investigative Service (NCIS).
The training strengthens Palauan law enforcement’s capacity to counter drug trafficking threats. This course is a testament to the enduring U.S. commitment to fostering a free and open Indo-Pacific and supporting Palau’s security.
Palauan participants from the Attorney General’s Office, Special Prosecutor’s Office, Customs and Border Protection, and the Palau Postal Inspection Service honed their expertise in a variety of areas critical to narcotics investigations, including:
• Drug identification
• Finding drugs concealed in the mail or on human carriers
• Evidence handling and exploitation
• Confidential source management
• Report writing
• Interviewing techniques
• Internal investigations and conspiracy detection
Through this collaborative training effort, the United States and Palau are strengthening their partnership to safeguard the region from the destabilizing effects of drug trafficking.
