Last year saw the successful completion of the Latvia-led FIDR project, aimed at combating organized crime. Building on its achievements and in response to growing global challenges, the Latvian State Police have launched a follow-up initiative – FIDR Advanced. With even more ambitious goals in tackling international organized crime, the project was officially launched in February with an international conference at Europol Headquarters in The Hague, where it was presented to law enforcement representatives from various countries.
The FIDR Project
In 2024, the Latvian State Police successfully concluded the FIDR project, a unique and distinctive international initiative. Its main objective was to strengthen national capabilities in the fight against organized crime, with a particular emphasis on drug trafficking and money laundering. The project introduced innovative methods and technical solutions to enhance law enforcement efforts against criminal organizations.
Due to the sensitive nature of the project, specific operational details cannot be disclosed publicly. However, over three years, FIDR facilitated more than 50 cross-border operations and supported over 20 joint international investigations across Europe, leading to the identification of criminal networks and the exposure of illicit financial flows. In total, 72 individuals were arrested, and over 8.2 tons of drugs were seized, with an estimated black-market value of hundreds of millions of euros.
Given the project’s significant impact on organized crime, the Latvian State Police immediately began working on its continuation.
The FIDR Advanced Project
The FIDR Advanced project, officially titled "Application of Innovative and Proactive Tools to Combat High-Level Organized Criminal Groups and Money Laundering Networks in the EU," was launched in January 2025 with a substantially larger budget of €2.3 million, most of which is allocated for operational expenses. The project will run for two years.
Latvia leads this initiative together with Lithuania, Estonia, and Europol as key partners. The project brings together law enforcement agencies from multiple countries, with 32 participating states so far, including non-EU nations.
While the original FIDR project primarily focused on drug trafficking, FIDR Advanced expands its scope to target a wider range of international organized crimes, including:
- Drug and arms trafficking
- Human trafficking
- Financial crimes
- Illicit cryptocurrency flows
- Fraud
The project's main objective is to equip law enforcement agencies with proactive tools, leveraging cutting-edge data analytics and artificial intelligence to identify and dismantle the most elusive and well-protected criminal networks.
FIDR Advanced launch at Europol
On February 12–13, 2025 the official launch conference of FIDR Advanced was held at Europol headquarters in The Hague, bringing together 165 participants from across the world. In addition to EU members, representatives from the United States, Norway, Switzerland, Australia, Canada, Japan, Montenegro, Israel, New Zealand, Albania, Brazil, Ukraine, and North Macedonia were present. The event also saw significant participation from Europol, the European Commission, Eurojust, and the European Public Prosecutor’s Office.
Addressing the conference, Europol Executive Director Ms. Catherine De Bolle emphasized the European Commission’s strong political commitment to strengthening Europol’s role as a leading agency in the fight against transnational crime. She reaffirmed Europol’s full support for the project and highlighted the importance of enhancing cooperation not only within the EU but also with international partners.
"We have received overwhelmingly positive feedback from our partners regarding the first FIDR project. The results clearly demonstrated its effectiveness and real impact in tackling complex organized crime networks. But we are not stopping there—we are moving forward and further strengthening our capabilities. The FIDR Advanced project is a key tool in advancing the EU’s priorities in the fight against organized crime. I am confident that with FIDR Advanced, we will be able to combat organized crime faster, smarter, and more effectively. Criminals are becoming more sophisticated, but we will not allow them to prevail. Today, we take a significant step toward making our countries and the world safer," stated Latvian State Police Chief Armands Ruks.
At the conference, participants from various law enforcement agencies shared practical knowledge and examples of solving complex crimes, including reviewing how the FIDR project has contributed so far and exploring its future applications.
"We all recognize that organized crime knows no borders. We are dealing with highly structured, dangerous, well-funded, and extremely sophisticated criminal networks. Our response must be equally organized, technologically superior, and, most importantly, internationally coordinated. No single country can effectively combat these crimes alone. This project strengthens international cooperation, accelerates information exchange, and enhances cross-border investigative capabilities, ensuring that criminals have nowhere to hide," said project leader, colonel Romāns Jašins.
Bilateral Meeting Between Latvian Police and Europol
During the FIDR Advanced conference, Europol Executive Director Catherine De Bolle Latvian held a biteral meeting with State Police Chief General Armands Ruks. Their discussions focused on strengthening cooperation between the Latvian State Police and Europol in the fight against cross-border organized crime, addressing emerging trends, and expanding Europol’s role in supporting and coordinating law enforcement efforts.
Ms. De Bolle congratulated the Latvian State Police on the launch of FIDR Advanced and recognized Latvia’s leading role in pioneering new approaches to combating serious and organized crime, particularly in countering money laundering.
The FIDR Advanced project was launched within the framework of the Internal Security Fund – Police Cooperation Programme (2021–2027), based on a grant agreement between the Latvian State Police and the European Commission.