Colonel Vu Van Hau - Deputy Director of C04: Customs plays a very important role in fighting drugs

	Customs on the front Line of drug prevention and combat: Part 3: The investigation case name E318 - Dismissing the act of transporting drugs from Euro
	Customs in the fight against drugs - Part 2 - Use of scanners and dogs to detect drugs
	Director of the Anti-smuggling and Investigation Department talks about drug prevention and combat of Customs

Colonel Vu Van Hau- Deputy Director of the Investigation Police Department on Drug-related Crimes (C04)

Recently, a series of huge drugs cases have been closely coordinated in between the Police, Customs forces and competent units, could you talk about the coordination between the Investigation Police Department on Drug-related Crimesand the Customs force over the past time?

Performing tasks on preventing and combating drug crime is closely coordinated between four main forces: Police, Customs, Border Guards and Coast Guard.

In 2002, the Prime Minister issued Decision 133/QD-TTg regulating coordination between forces: Police, Border Guard, Coast Guard and Customs in preventing and fighting against drug-related crimes in borders and border gates and on sea routes. These are sophisticated areas and need attention to prevent crime. Huge drugs cases and transnational illegal drug transportation cases were implemented by international perpetrators who colluded with domestic persons to transport through these areas.

In this struggle, in borders, Customs and Border Guards are the units directly performing this task.

The Customs force has collaborated with the Police force, especially the C04 department and relevant forces to prevent and fight drug-related crimes. The close coordination is implemented both in working and sentiment. Especially, when cracking down on drugs cases, the Customs force has received effective support and coordination from the Police force.

In huge drugs cases that were detected in recent times, there has always been close and effective coordination between Customs, Police and competent units.

The Customs force has exchanged information and use its specialised operation methods to assist the Police force in detecting and identifying drugs crime gangs. In addition, the Customs force has arrested on site offenders.

For these results, how do you assess the role of the Customs force in preventing and combating drugs?

The Customs force is both the “gatekeeper of the economy" and facilitator for import and export activities, contributing to preserving and ensuring security and sovereignty at the national border, preventing and fighting smuggling and illegal transportation of goods. Therefore, the role of Customs authorities is major in preventing, combating smuggling and trade fraud and illegal transportation of goods, including drugs crime prevention.

Regarding the results of combat and arrest, we highly appreciate the performance of the Customs force over the past time. The detection and arrests of Customs authorities related to transnational drug transport lines. This means that Customs authorities have been involved in detecting, preventing and arresting remotely for drug crimes.

Through these results, it can be affirmed that the source of drugs in hug cases has originated from abroad and transported into Vietnam. On the other hand, Vietnam has convenient transportation system including seaport, airways, roadway, railway and is adjacent to many countries. In particular, we are very near to the world's major drug centre, which is the Golden Triangle and the Golden Crescent area. The distance from Vietnam to the Golden Triangle is only about 500km. It is this natural condition that the smugglers have considered Vietnam an area to transport drugs and then continue to transport to a third country for consumption. Besides, Vietnam is in the process of international integration, economic development and facilitation for goods circulation and trade and this is also an opportunity for drug criminals to abuse. That is the limitation of international integration.

Therefore, the remote prevention and reduction of drug source into Vietnam plays an important role, especially the detection and arrest right from border gates. To fulfill this task, there is a huge role of the Customs and Border Guard forces.

In addition, for the illegal production and transportation of synthetic drugs, international smugglers abuse of preferential policies to attract investment to establish businesses and produce synthetic drugs from drug precursors. Therefore, the import and export control of drug precursors of Customs is very important.

We hope the Customs authorities continue to strengthen the control of the import and export of precursor chemicals so that this item can be used for the right purpose to serve industrial and medical production, but also promptly detect acts of abusing of the import and export of precursor chemicals to produce synthetic drugs.

Each unit, each force has its own functions and duties, but in the fight against drug crimes, Customs and Police forces Investigating drug-related crimes and competent forces always have close coordination.

With drug crimes, especially transnational drug crimes that see more and more complicated developments, in my opinion, the Police and Customs forces need to strengthen coordination.

Colonel Do Ngoc Canh - Deputy Director of the Department of Crime and Drug Prevention (Border Guard Command): Huge drug cases that were seized have shown that international drug smugglers use tricks to hide drugs in import and export goods, and means of transport on exit and entry. Meanwhile, equipment and facilities for supervision, inspection and control of import and export goods, vehicles equipped for Border Guard and Customs are lacking, out of date, and unable to meet the demand in the current situation. This is a big challenge for competent forces at border gates, especially the Border Guard and Customs forces. For Border Guard and Customs forces to perform better and both tasks both create favourable conditions for import and export activities, and effectively implement the task of controlling, preventing and combating smuggling, including illegal drug transportation across border, one of the important solutions is that competent authorities should pay attention to increasing equipment for supervision, inspection and control for import-export goods and vehicles on exit and entry at border gates, borders and seaports.