Countering maritime organized crime, February 2026

INTERPORTPOLICE took part in a meeting organised by Pacific Basin, a major ship operator, in London on 10 February 2026. The meeting addressed ways to improve the resilience of shipping to the malign influence of organized crime and in particular drug trafficking. Not only does the drug trade disrupt legitimate business but far too many seafarers are being subjected to dubious legal procedures based on very flimsy and at best circumstantial evidence. From a law enforcement perspective, banging up the wrong person is never good policing! Participants in the meeting included representatives of the shipping industry, law enforcement, intelligence, private security, and academia. Briefings from Dirk Siebels (Risk Intelligence) and Chiraj Bahri (ISWAN) set the scene followed by discussions led by experts from the Pacific Basin team, sharing some of PB’s practical solutions. Key takeaways include the need for a whole of government approach, inter-agency cooperation at national and port levels, communication between industry and law enforcement and practical procedures to reduce the threat to seafarers, including training programmes and target hardening measures. Given that the International Maritime Organization is reviewing its guidelines for the prevention and suppression of the smuggling of drugs (Resolution FAL.9(34)), and given that a number of organizations in consultative status with IMO (including INTERPORTPOLICE) participated, this meeting was both timely and very relevant. For more information on Pacific Basin, visit www.pacific basin.com