Specialized equipment for detection of drugs and explosives worth BAM 160,000 donated to the Indirect Taxation Authority (ITA)BiH

Today, the Indirect Taxation Authority was handed specialist equipment worth BAM 160,000  for detecting drugs and explosives, procured within the framework of the Halting Arms and Lawbreaking Trade (HALT) project implemented by the United Nations Development Program (UNDP) in Bosnia and Herzegovina.

For a more efficient fight against the illegal trade in small arms and light weapons, the officers of the Administration will have at their disposal from today: 7 devices for measuring the density of materials (so-called baster), 25 sets for detecting explosives and drugs, 25 sets of universal tools, and 24 sets of tools for vehicle inspection, total value over BAM 160,000 (without VAT). Today’s donation by UNDP BiH represents the continuation of support to the Administration within the framework of the HALT project in terms of further strengthening the capacities of the Administration, i.e. improving working conditions with the aim of more effectively fighting the illegal trade in small arms and light weapons (SALW), considering that in the previous period, UNDP BiH through the mentioned project already donated 22 endoscopes and 4 detectors for explosives and drugs worth about BAM 450,000  (without VAT). In addition to representatives of UNDP in BiH and ITA BiH, representatives of the suppliers who delivered the aforesaid equipment attended the handover in the ITA premises  in Banja Luka.

The HALT project has been implemented since February 2020 as a joint project of the United Nations Development Program in BiH and the UN Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) with the intention of further improving security within and outside the borders of the Western Balkans, and through targeted action aimed at improving the capacities of Bosnia and Herzegovina in the fight against illegal trade in SALW. The HALT project is financed by the Federal Republic of Germany, the United Kingdom, the Republic of France, the Kingdom of Sweden, the Kingdom of the Netherlands and the Kingdom of Norway through the Multilateral Fund for the Western Balkans, with the support of the European Union, within the framework of the Roadmap 2024 initiative for the control of small arms and light weapons in the Western Balkans. Project activities are carried out in cooperation with the ITA BiH as the main beneficiary of this project, while other institutions and agencies in Bosnia and Herzegovina are also included in a certain number of activities within the project.