GDVC requires strengthening anti-smuggling by air

	Strengthen anti-smuggling of fake medicine and cosmetics
	Over 11.7 million foreign cigarettes suspected of infringing intellectual property rights
	Proactively control counterfeit goods and infringing intellectual property rights

Drugs hidden in beer cans sent from the Netherlands to Noi Bai International Airport were seized by Hanoi Customs in May 2023.

Smugglers abuse the incentive of policies and regimes, the development of e-commerce, and express delivery service to collude with foreign parties to set up rings of smuggling and illegal transportation of goods currency across international airports.

Infringing goods are mainly weapons, explosives, rare and endangered wildlife, alcohol, tobacco, pharmaceutical products, cosmetics, electronic products, used consumer goods, and other high value goods.

The illegal transporation of drugs is implemented with sophicicated methods.

To prevent violations, on May 22, the General Department of Vietnam Customs (GDVC) issued an Official Dispatch requesting units to perform key tasks.

Implement Official Dispatch No. 92/BCD389 - DVTT dated December 5, 2022 of the Steering Committee 389 of the Ministry of Finance and Official Letter No. 5346/TCHQ-DTCBL dated December 9, 2022 of the General Department of Customs implementing the plan on anti-smuggling and illegal transportation of goods across international airports.

The GDVC assigns the Anti-Smuggling and Investigation Department and Customs Departments of HCM city, Hanoi, Da Nang, Hai Phong, Quang Ninh, Nghe An, Thua Thien Hue, Khanh Hoa, Can Tho, and Kien Giang to strengthen information collection, forecasting the situation, identification of methods of smuggling and illegal transprotation of goods, drugs and currency accross international airports to detect, prevent and promptly handle violations.

The country’s top customs regulator asked departments to identify high risk items and key routes to take appropriate measures.

Focus on inspecting targeting items such as weapons, drugs, explosives, rare and precious wildlife, banned goods, alcohol, currency, gold, tobacco, medicine, cosmetics, electronic products, used consumer goods, and other high-value goods.

Officers and staff of the departments are required to improve their political quality, public service ethics, qualifications, strictly control public service performance, and prevent the situation that officers involve in trouble, harassment, negativity or corruption.

They must report and strictly handle officers who commit acts of corruption, negativity, violation of discipline and public service ethics.