About 70% of drugs seized by Noi Bai Customs transported from the EU

	Foreigners entering Vietnam create business cover to trade drugs
	Unit 6 under Anti-Smuggling Investigation Department tackles major drug-related crimes

Drugs hidden in household appliances are jointly discovered by Noi Bai Customs

In 2023, the international trade in airport, especially inbound and outbound passenger have been resumed and surged compared to the same period of the Covid-19 outbreak. Noi Bai International Airport Customs Branch has processed procedures for 56,232 international flights with more than 9.6 million passengers; received about 134,000 import and export declarations.

The leader of Noi Bai International Airport Customs Branch said that along with the recovery and growth of passenger and cargo flights, the methods of cross-border drug transport is increasingly sophisticated to avoid detection by law enforcement forces.

The smugglers hide and mix drugs with other products for customs declaration; Drugs are packed in common packaging to avoid detection during inspection, and hidden inside products such as bags of instant coffee, chocolate bars, milk, supplemental foods, alcohol, backpacks, suitcases, toothpaste tubes, beer cans... or machinery and household appliances to avoid detection and inspection by the Customs.

Noi Bai International Airport Customs Branch assessed that drugs mainly are transported from European countries, accounting for 69.02% compared with the total number of transnational drug transportation cases across Noi Bai International Airport.

In terms of regime, drug shipments that are sent by air and mainly in the form of non-commercial goods, gifts, and via express delivery service, account for 92.9% of cases. Besides, a small percentage of drugs are sent by postal service from the US, Mexico, Canada...

In 2023, Noi Bai International Airport Customs Branch has developed a supervision and inspection plan, enhanced the collection of risk management information, focusing on targeting routes, objects and goods. The branch has carried out 260 patrols in areas of Noi Bai International Airport such as terminal T2 and warehouses of ACSV, ALS, NCTS... At the same time, the branch has strengthened screening for cargo and luggage imported across Noi Bai International Airport, and focused on inspecting non-commercial goods, goods transported from Europe, especially the pre-screening.

In addition, the branch has coordinated with the Anti-Smuggling and Investigation Department and enforcement forces of the Ministry of Public Security to continuously detect and bust many rings transporting drugs from European countries such as the Czech Republic, Poland, Germany, the Netherlands... to Vietnam.

As of November 30, Noi Bai International Airport Customs Branch tackled 28 drug-related crime cases, arrested 20 suspects and seized 581.26 kg, increasing by three times in number of cases, 2.5 times in the number of suspects and over three times in infringing goods compared to 2022.

In addition to the 28 cases handed over to the police agency, the branch coordinates with the relevant authorities to handle 14 cases and seized 157.25 drugs.

Notably, through pre-screening and specialized measures, the Branch identified 39 suspicious cases, provided information to customs branches outside the border gates to tackle 12 drug-related crime cases with 8 offenders, and seize about 239,309 kg of drugs.

North Hanoi Customs Branch arrested 8 cases with 5 subjects, seized about 150,539 kg of drugs; Gia Thuy Customs Branch arrested 4 cases with 3 subjects; and seized about 88,770 kg of drugs.

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