This Issue in focus provided brief background information for the discussions during Workshop No. 1 “Cross-border controlled deliveries from a judicial perspective” in the context of the strategic meeting on drug trafficking held by Eurojust on 29 and 30 September 2014.

Following a short explanation of the reasons for the selection of this topic and the methods followed to prepare the background information, this paper is structured into two main sections focusing on: i) Analysis of the replies to the questionnaire on controlled deliveries to all Member States and Norway to identify main issues encountered in judicial cooperation in this field and to gather the views of the national authorities on the role played by Eurojust and Europol in controlled deliveries, and ii) Analysis of the replies to a question asked of all Eurojust National Members to establish whether they have exercised their powers to authorise and coordinate controlled deliveries in accordance with Articles 9c(1)(d) and 9d(a) of the Eurojust Decision.

Additionally, the Annex to this Issue in focus includes a table that was drafted by collating selected information from the replies to the questionnaires and by information available from other sources (Europol, the EMCDDA and the EJN). This compendium covers two main areas: i) Whether a Mutual Legal Assistance request is required (before or after the controlled delivery); and ii) Which authority should be contacted (central or not).

The potential usefulness of this work was discussed by the practitioners participating in the strategic meeting and further validated after the strategic meeting in view of its distribution among interested practitioners.