Enhance drug control capacity of the Customs sector in the new situation

Deputy Director General of Vietnam Customs Luu Manh Tuong delivered a direction speech. Photo: N.H

Attending the conference were leaders of the Drug-related Crime Investigation Police Department (C04) - Ministry of Public Security, Internal Reconnaissance Division, Department of Drug and Crime Prevention - Border Defence force Command, Drug-related crime prevention division and Professional and Legal Department - Coast Guard Command.

Speaking at the conference, Tuong said that over the past time, the General Department of Vietnam Customs and the Anti-Smuggling and Investigation Department directed units in the sector to focus closely on the direction of the Government and the National Committee on AIDS, drug and prostitution prevention to implement many solutions, directives and plans. The Customs forces have basically controlled the situation, discovered and fought with new methods of tricks and destroyed many new criminal lines, cross-border activities, many complex drug-related projects, contributing to completing the tasks of the Customs sector.

In 2017-2020, the drug enforcement force of the Customs sector coordinated to arrest 464 cases of drug trafficking and illegal transportation, arrest 477 subjects and seize 117kg of heroin, 1,084 bricks of heroin, 2,386 kg of synthetic drugs and 990,000 tablets of synthetic drugs as well as many other drugs.

The above results showed the great efforts and determination of the Customs sector. However, Deputy Director General Tuong assessed this result was still not commensurate with the actual functions, tasks and competence of the Customs sector due to the increasingly complex situation of drug trafficking and transportation while the resources and authority of the Customs sector have not been fully ultilised.

New methods and tricks of drug-related crimes posed a great challenge to the Customs sector in controlling import and export goods. Photo: N.H

To proactively prevent and fight effectively, promptly respond to sophisticated and unpredictable methods and tricks of drug-related crimes, and at the same time agree on awareness and action, enhancing accountability, exploiting and effectively using resources, the General Department of Vietnam Customs assigned the Anti-Smuggling Investigation Department to chair a conference on drug control in the Customs sector.

The Deputy Director General expected the conference would be an opportunity for customs officials and drug enforcement forces in the Customs sector to exchange, share good experience and acquire knowledge to peform professional work and at the same time remove difficulties and obstacles in the course of task performance.

At the conference, Deputy Director of the Anti-Smuggling and Investigation Department Nguyen Van Lich raised alarming issues in drug-related crimes over the past time. The illegal trafficking and transportation of narcotics increased on all border routes by land, sea and air; while the types of drugs and tricks of the criminals are also much more diverse and sophisticated than before.

“When the border forces concentrated on tightly controlling the opening paths and trails, drugs could not pass through this road, so they switched to hiding in vehicles and goods passing through the border gate. In the context of Vietnam's economic integration into the world, the volume of imports and exports was constantly increasing, the shift of drug-related crimes as mentioned above was posing a great challenge for the Customs sector,” Lich emphasised.

Although cases are continuously detected and arrested, drug prices have not increased. This proved the supply was still plentiful.

Lich pointed out a number of new methods and tricks of drug-related crimes in recent times. Lich also paid special attention to the control of precursor substances to avoid criminals taking advantage of the policy of importing precursors to produce drugs in Vietnam.

At the conference, representatives of departments under the General Department of Vietnam Customs, local Customs departments made presentation on the experiences in the fight against drug-related crime on land and sea border lines, airline; experience in drug projects led by foreigners; experience in coordination with domestic and foreign forces in drug fight and prevention.

Besides that, departments under the General Department of Vietnam Customs, local Customs and representatives of C04 - Ministry of Public Security, the High Command of the Coast Guard, the High Command of the Border Defence force exchanged and shared experiences as well as solving difficulties in coordinating work for drug-related crime prevention.