Customs detected 21 cases of wild animal and plant smuggling.

Ivory seized by Customs forces at NoiBai International Airport. Photo: Q.H.

In some of the detected cases, Customs forces dismantled several illegal transportation cases of wild animals and plants, and products from wild animals and plants in huge quantities.

Typical cases are illegal transportation of137.5 kg of ivory and products made from ivory (rings, beads) from Angola to NoiBai; illegal transportation of9,052 kg of tortoise-shell carapaces, 1,345 kg of gecko, 16 kg of live tortoise-shells from Indonesia toHai An port, HaiPhong; smuggling and illegally transportation 300 kgs of wood from Laos to Vietnam through La Lay border gate, Quang Tri.

According to the General Department of Customs, in recent times, activities of smuggling, trade fraud, and illegal transportation of goods across the border have becomemore complicated.

The violators operated with many sophisticated, reckless, daring methods, and tricks, organized into networks and dens to smuggle and illegally transport goods into Vietnam.

Mostly, violation items were illegal goods, high tariff goods, import goods under conditions, violation goods of food safety and environment such as: Drugs, weapons, gold and foreign currency, Vietnamese currency, wild animals and plants, petroleum, tobacco, sugar, pharmaceuticals, cosmetics, functional foods, electronics, and second-hand electrical appliances.

Before this situation, the General Department of Customs focused on implementing solutions: Enhance capacity of the control forces on the basis of improving institutions, consolidating the organization; Reform and modernize Customs control methods, application of information technology thoroughly, increasing the use of modern equipment and management techniques in the professional activities of Customs control...