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All kinds of concealment tricks

From the cases that have just been discovered and arrested by the functional forces in the past time, Deputy Director of the Noi Bai International Airport Customs Branch (Hanoi Customs Department) Dinh Quang Huy said, besides the use of methods and tricks that have been discovered such as mixing, disguising, hiding drugs in functional foods and cosmetics, recently functional forces have also discovered hidden tricks in machinery, equipment, household items to bypass the authorities or packed in packages containing easily concealed formats such as chocolates, bags of instant coffee, etc.

In particular, "traffickers take advantage of sending hand luggage of passengers on entry and exit, international students, business travellers abroad, especially, there are cases where the subjects still benefit using foreigners with serious diseases to transport drugs into Vietnam. For example, the case of a Canadian citizen was found to be transporting 2 pieces of luggage containing marijuana to Vietnam via air in mid-2022," Huy said.

Senior Colonel Doan Tat Nam, Deputy Head of Division 7 (Police Department of Drug Crime Investigation, Ministry of Public Security), said that through recent arrests, the tactics of drug criminals through air routes have emerged, like drug criminals through social networks to make friends with women in difficult circumstances, than promise and take them to travel abroad. In the process of free travel abroad, subjects brought suitcases and goods containing drugs to the women on the transport. Another trick is to take advantage of students, pupils studying abroad, and Vietnamese people to work abroad. When these people return home, the subjects buy checked baggage to hide drugs. In addition, they take advantage of the kindness of those new to flying, inexperienced or flying for the first time, and then bring the elderly, disabled, and people with small children to take care of and carry luggage with drugs.

Facing the complicated situation of buying and selling drugs, transporting drugs via air and express delivery with many new methods and tricks, thoroughly grasping the direction of the General Director of Customs and through the collection and processing of professional information as well as reviewing, identifying key points, warning signs of suspicion from the General Department of Customs, Hanoi City Police, the Anti-Drug Control Team (Hanoi Customs Department) has detected many cases of illegal transportation of narcotics via air and express delivery. Notably, the number of drug pieces of evidence discovered by functional forces has been in import and export shipments. Subjects hide and mix drugs in lotion bottles, food jars or beer crates.

The subjects exchanged with each other via social networks WhatsApp and Instagram, using nicknames to hide personal information; dividing the process of transporting goods into several stages, passing through many carriers to track and cut tails when there is an abnormality; hired recipients who do not know the content of the goods such as grab, technology taxi.

In a recent incident, under the guise of an air purifier sent from Germany to Vietnam by air, functional forces discovered many suspected synthetic drug tablets. Specifically, on May 11, the Drug Prevention and Control Team coordinated with the Noi Bai International Airport Customs Branch and a specialized force under the Hanoi City Police to inspect the shipment weighing 8kg and was sent from Berlin (Germany) to Vietnam. As a result, many suspected synthetic drugs were found hidden in the air purifier, weighing more than 7kg. Furthermore, the rapid test results showed that the penis was positive with the MDMA drug test. Notably, observing the process of examining the exhibits, it can be seen that the number of suspected MDMA synthetic drug tablets was disguised and hidden by the subject very sophisticatedly in the air purifier.

Do not carry goods for others, carry goods for rent

At a recent conference, the Director General of the General Department of Customs, Nguyen Van Can, said that, following the direction of the leaders of the Ministry of Public Security and the Ministry of Finance, the Customs force coordinated with the Public Security Force (including the units from the Ministry of Public Security, the Public Security of the provinces and cities) not only caught the goods but also arrested many subjects in the provinces and cities. Furthermore, Director General Nguyen Van Can proposes that airlines and carriers cooperate in exchanging information about goods, passengers and luggage in advance for the authorities to classify, evaluate, and improve the effectiveness of fighting and arresting. Furthermore, in the coming time, the Customs Force will strengthen screening activities at airports to serve in the fight and arrest of drug criminals.

On the part of the unit performing the task, Mr Dinh Quang Huy said that in the face of an increasing number of illegal transportation of narcotics into Vietnam, tricks are increasingly sophisticated; in addition to professional measures to detect Violators, it is necessary to strengthen the propaganda of the law with passengers on entry and exit, rights and obligations when carrying goods. "Passengers on entry and exit when receiving goods must know what goods are. Therefore, do not carry, carry for rent, and at the same time need to raise the spirit of vigilance for goods and determine that there may be legal responsibilities when carrying them," emphasized Mr Huy.

In particular, the representative of the Noi Bai International Airport Customs Branch also suggested that the legal responsibilities of the freight transport agency should be clearly defined, and the responsibility should be handled when cases occur. In addition, enterprises that transport domestically exploited goods must commit to the Customs and law enforcement agencies in drug prevention and control.

The Drug Crime Investigation Police Department also recommends that airline passengers be vigilant and well-manage their luggage to avoid being taken advantage of by people taking drugs into their luggage. In any case, it is advisable to refuse when strangers send or ask to take care of luggage.