The European Commission's Anti-Fraud Office (OLAF) and the U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) Tuesday signed an agreement for stepping up cooperation in fighting against organized crime, the European Commission said.
After signing the cooperation arrangement on behalf of OLAF, Investigations & Operations II director Ian Walton said the commission already enjoy an "excellent working relationship" with the law enforcement authorities in the United States, and the new cooperation is moving a step further.
"We have formalized our relationship..and we are looking forward to even closer cooperation in the future," he said. "We have a number of areas of common interest and we will be tackling them together. "
OLAF has a special Task Group that specifically deals with combating contraband and counterfeit cigarettes in the European Union. In 2008, 5.3 billion illegal cigarettes were seized by law enforcement agencies across the 27-member bloc, and several billion Euros in tax and customs revenue is lost each year to smugglers.