Paul Abels in NRC about the role of Dutch Intelligence Services (AIVD) in the fight against drug trafficking
Minister Grapperhaus wants to use intelligence services in the investigation of drug crime. There are many doubts about this wish in the intelligence world. Paul Abels, Professor by Special Appointment Governance of Intelligence and Security Services at the Institute of Security and Global Affairs (ISGA), speaks in NRC about the role of the AIVD in the fight against drug trafficking.
Abels' response to Minister Grapperhaus's wish is that ‘first the question will have to be answered carefully whether organised crime actually threatens national security. And if so, what the added value is that the services can deliver.’
Doubts
Abels has doubts about whether the service can contribute, ‘around the year 2000 - when the service also became involved in the fight against organised crime - it became a tragic failure.’ ‘At the time, the service was not used to work with criminals. Those people are very different people than ‘convicted offenders’ who can be motivated by political or religious ideology’, says Abels.
Read the full article at NRC (only in Dutch).