Drug transportation across border gates becomes increasingly sophisticated

	Cases of smuggling and counterfeit goods increase 57%
	Drugs and contraband smuggled into Vietnam across the southwest border
	Discover more than 1,000 cases of violation in customs field in one month

Deputy Head of Anti-drug Enforcement Team-HCM City Customs Department Vo Thanh Hung shares his experience at the conference on operational exchange on drugs and precursor control in the customs industry in 2024, held in Da Lat in August 2024. Photo: N.Hien

How do you assess the drug transportation across HCM City seaports from the beginning of the year?

- HCM City Customs Department manages a large area. About 55 airlines regularly operate with more than 200 entry and exit flights/day and about 11 million entry and exit passengers/year at Tan Son Nhat International Airport.

With a large area and diverse regimes of management, it will pose high risk of criminal activities, especially crimes of illegal trafficking and transportation of drugs and drug precursors across the area if there are no effective control measures.

From the beginning of 2024 to now, the drug transportation across HCM City's seaports has become very complicated. The department has taken measures and arrested many cases of drug trafficking with increasingly sophisticated methods. Notably, the department has coordinated with enforcement forces to detect 6 cases of drug transportation to Australia. Tan Son Nhat International Airport Customs Branch has also arrested six Korean suspects hiding drugs inside their underwear to transport to Korea.

Could you tell us about some new methods of drug concealment discovered by HCM City Customs Department?

- Recently, smugglers have used increasingly sophisticated and professional tricks for drug trafficking.

Some new methods of drug concealment discovered by HCM City Customs Department include: concealing drugs in toothpaste tubes, in the waistband of pants, underwear; or drilling holes to hide in wooden cutting boards; in wheeled walkers for the elderly; hiding in industrial steel cooking pots (two layers). Notably, in early August, we discovered about 4kg of heroin pressed thinly and hidden in the waistband of pants. The suspects declared the goods as clothes, but in fact they sophisticatedly hid drugs inside the clothes.

Additionally, the sophisticated methods used by smugglers also require the Customs to strictly control while performing entry and exit procedures.

What solutions has HCM City Customs Department, especially Anti-drug Enforcement Team implemented to combat and prevent the situation over the past time?

- Determining drug prevention as one of the key tasks, HCM City Customs Department has effectively implemented the plans of the General Department of Vietnam Customs, and developed many plans to combat cross-border smuggling and illegal transportation of drugs and precursors in 2024, with many specific solutions. Notably, the Team has implemented three specialized plans, and effectively executed contents of the Coordination Regulation No. 4567 dated June 15, 2023 among HCM City Customs Department, HCM City Police and HCM City Border Guard in state management; combating and preventing drug-related crimes in the City.

The department has advised the leader of HCM City Customs Department to warn about the tricks of transporting drugs via express delivery services, and methods and tricks in drug trafficking and transportation via sea routes; provided information and warnings on drug prevention and control...

Motivated by these solutions, could you tell us about achievements in the first eight months of 2024?

- Following directions of leaders at all levels on drug prevention and control, and implementing effective solutions and plans, HCM City Customs Department has detected and arrested many drug trafficking with sophisticated methods and large quantity. The department arrested 38 cases and seized 51.1 kg of drugs in 2020; 63 cases and 156kg of drugs in 2021; 83 cases and 213.71 kg of drugs in 2022; 38 cases and 92kg of drugs and precursors in 2023. In the first eight months of the year, the department has arrested 16 cases and 13 suspects and seized over 34kg of drugs.

How do you assess the situation in the last months of the year and what solutions will the department implement in the near future?

- We all know that drug-related crimes are the source o all types of crimes. Identifying HCM City area as a key area for criminals to consume, transit and transport drugs... On major holidays in the last months of the year such as Christmas, Winter holidays, New Year's Eve, Tet... when the volume of goods and passenger surges, the trafficking drugs and drug precursors across the City will continue to be complicated, with increasingly sophisticated concealment methods.

To deal with the above situation, the Department will continue to strengthen inspection, control and implementation of professional measures in the management area, especially the air route, express delivery... because criminals will take advantage of the route to operate.

The department has strengthened information collection, monitored the management area; strictly checked customs dossiers, and controlled luggage via scanners, containers; coordinated well with relevant forces such as PC04, local police, Border Guards... to investigate and arrest related subjects, ringleaders...

Thank Sir!