Customs control and prevent many drug trafficking cases in the South

	Tan Son Nhat International Airport Customs: Stop many cases of sophisticated drug trafficking
	Tan Son Nhat International Airport Customs: Preventing many sophisticated drug trafficking cases
	Express Customs Sub-department: Preventing a series of sophisticated drug trafficking cases

Officers of Team 6 met to discuss the implementation of the project before solving the case. Photo: Chau Long

Sharing with us, the representative of Team 6 said that the drug crime situation is on the rise and shifting strongly to the southern provinces and cities.

Roads, waterways and sea routes here have become routes for transporting drugs from Laos and Cambodia into Vietnam and transiting to other countries.

Taking advantage of the openness in customs policies, immigration and loopholes in implementing procedures, criminals have hidden drugs in vehicles, goods, luggage or even carried them on their person, hidden in underwear.

International airports such as Tan Son Nhat, Da Nang, Cam Ranh, etc are places where many illegal activities of transporting synthetic drugs from countries in the Americas, Europe, Africa and Australia into Vietnam are concentrated.

In addition, subjects also take advantage of express delivery routes, postal goods to hide drugs in packages of goods in the form of gifts.

Faced with the above situation, Team 6 coordinated with functional forces inside and outside the sector to successfully dismantle many major projects, seizing and arresting many drugs and subjects.

Drugs were seized by Team 6 in coordination with other forces in May 2024.

In the first 9 months of 2024, through coordination with the Department of Drug Crime Investigation, Ho Chi Minh City Police; Department 3, Department of Drug Crime Investigation - Ministry of Public Security; Drug Prevention and Control Team, Tan Son Nhat International Airport Customs Branch, Express Customs Branch under Ho Chi Minh City Customs Department and Group 3 of the Border Guard Command, Team 6, together with other forces, discovered and arrested 3 major cases and 33 cases with 28 subjects; seized exhibits: 189.33 kg of marijuana; 245 kg of American weed; 97 kg of MDMA, 36.30 kg of heroin; 32.80 kg of ketamine and many other related exhibits and documents; handed over to the Investigation Police Agency for further investigation and handling according to authority.

Typically, in May 2024, through the coordination of the "controlled delivery" operation, Team 6 coordinated with Ho Chi Minh City Customs and functional forces to arrest 05 subjects and 38kg of synthetic drugs of the type MDMA. Continuing to expand the investigation, the functional forces arrested 12 more subjects, searched and seized dozens of kilograms of other types of drugs. Or at the end of September 2024, under the leadership of the Tan Son Nhat International Airport Customs Branch, Team 6 and coordinated forces discovered and seized 11.576 kg of Heroin, disguised in 32 paper bags, at the export warehouse.

According to the officers of Team 6, in the increasingly fierce fight against drug crimes, the large management area, complex terrain, etc are always constant difficulties for the unit. Especially in the context of a thin force, equipment, means, professional budget for work and support tools are still limited.

In the face of increasingly complex drug crimes, Team 6 proposed and was assigned by the General Department's leadership to implement the Project "Drug control work in the Southern region of the Customs force", a scientific and technological research project at the General Department of Customs in 2023. On September 30, 2024, the General Department of Customs decided to recognize the results of the implementation of the scientific and technological task at the General Department of Customs.

Based on the actual work, the research team of Team 6 assessed the current situation of drug control work in the Southern region and pointed out the causes and limitations in drug control work.

At the same time, forecast the situation of drug trafficking and illegal transportation through the Southern Customs area and orient the drug control work of the Customs force, etc.

From there, the research team proposed a number of solutions and recommendations to the Government and ministries, the General Department of Customs to improve the effectiveness of drug control work in the Southern region of the Customs force.