Former acting secretary of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security Chad Wolf pens an op-ed discussing the need for cooperative efforts to tackle illegal trade.

“As acting U.S. Secretary of Homeland Security at the time, I recognized the severity of the problem and the challenges in preventing it. To prioritize DHS efforts, we published a first of its kind report entitled Combating Trafficking in Counterfeit and Pirated Goods outlining the steps DHS and the private sector could undertake. Illicit trade frequently crosses multiple jurisdictions and stopping it requires the cooperation of global trade officials, federal agencies, local law enforcement, and the private sector.”

“By building upon the lessons learned from Operation Stolen Promise and establishing public-private partnerships to share intelligence and investigate leads, we can make full use of the collective expertise to get ahead of criminals through innovative technologies and solutions. This cooperation will also sow benefits at home through helping train law enforcement officers on how to recognize the signs of illicit trade in their communities and educate the public about the dangers of buying products from unrecognized sellers.”

“Illicit trade has been a boon to highly organized criminal networks and terrorists for years but, thanks to increasing cooperative efforts we are seeing in states around the country, their profitable days may soon come to an end.”

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