Tighten smuggling through Moc Bai international border gate

	Over 2,500 used mobile phones in transit seized at Moc Bai Border Gate
	Arrested an illegal immigrant transporting drugs from Cambodia to Vietnam

Moc Bai Customs officers supervise import and export goods. Photo: T.D

Coordinate to crack down on drug cases

The border area of Moc Bai international border gate (Tay Ninh) is an area with extremely vibrant trade activities of goods, vehicles, and passengers with Cambodia, but also always has many potential risks of smuggling and illegally transporting goods, drugs, etc.

To proactively grasp the situation and manage the area, in recent times, Moc Bai Border Gate Customs Sub-department (Tay Ninh Customs Department) has deployed and coordinated with forces inside and outside the sector to deploy many professional operations to ensure both facilitation of import and export activities and good implementation of state management of Customs.

Typically, in early March, at the border patrol road, milestone 170/3 area in Thuan Tay hamlet, Loi Thuan commune, Ben Cau district, Tay Ninh province, Moc Bai International Border Guard Station chaired and coordinated with Moc Bai Border Gate Customs Sub-department and related forces to detect Nguyen Van Luong (born in 1958, residing in Thuan Tay hamlet, Loi Thuan commune, Ben Cau district, Tay Ninh province) riding a motorbike from Cambodia to Vietnam carrying a black bag.

Conducting an inspection, the working team discovered that inside the bag there was 1 transparent plastic bag containing white solid crystals and 1 bag containing 102 blue tablets with the symbol RR. Subject Nguyen Van Luong admitted that the black handbag was hired by a man named Vu to go to Cambodia to pick up and bring back to Vietnam. Subject Luong received a black bag from a man at a casino in Bavet city, Cambodia; While on the way to deliver it to Vu, he was arrested. Expanding the investigation, the authorities discovered and arrested the subject Ha Thuc Vu. Subject Ha Thuc Vu admitted that he received a call from a person named Son to bring his bag from Cambodia to Vietnam. After that, Vu called Nguyen Van Luong and asked him to go to Cambodia to bring the bag back to Vu so that Vu could deliver it to Son. After delivering it, he would send the money.

On March 11, Moc Bai International Border Guard Station decided to prosecute the case of "Illegal transportation of narcotics" and "Illegal storage of narcotics", handing over the subjects and exhibits to the police of Ben Cau district, Tay Ninh province so they can continue to handle the case according to their authority.

Previously, on January 12, 2024, at the border patrol road, sub-milestone area 170/3 in Thuan Tay hamlet, Loi Thuan commune, Ben Cau district, Tay Ninh province, Moc Bai Border Gate Customs Sub-department and the Border Guard and Police here successfully participated in destroying an illegal drug transport ring. As a result, a person was arrested transporting about 2.3kg of drugs from Cambodia to Vietnam.

Not only drugs, the authorities also discovered many cases of illegal transportation of foreign currency. Typically, on January 8, Moc Bai Border Gate Customs Sub-department coordinated with the Southern Region Anti-Smuggling Control Team (Team 3) - Anti-Smuggling and Investigation Department, General Department of Customs; Moc Bai International Border Guard Station, Ben Cau District Police inspected and controlled vehicles traveling from Cambodia to Vietnam, and discovered the subject Huynh Mai Trung Tinh (born in 1992) residing in Tan An Ward, Thu Dau Mot City, Binh Duong province with exhibits worth 250,000 USD.

Strengthen inspection and control of some key items

According to Deputy Director of Moc Bai Border Gate Customs Sub-department Le Minh Tan, the operating area of Moc Bai Border Gate Customs Sub-department is large and complex. Subjects take advantage of means of transporting import and export goods to hide contraband goods or hide them on their bodies to avoid the control of authorities, making inspection and control difficult.

Meanwhile, at Moc Bai international border gate, the flow of import and export goods, luggage and means of transport enters and transits in large quantities. The area has many open trails across the border, which pose many potential risks for bad actors to take advantage of to smuggle and illegally transport goods and drugs across the border. Moc Bai international border gate border area is adjacent to Ba Vet city, Svay Rieng province, Cambodia, where there are many casinos, cockfighting arenas, and dance halls operating day and night. These are favorable conditions for people to buy and sell, then hire people who lack knowledge about the law to illegally transport drugs and goods (alcohol, beer, cigarettes, etc) to Vietnam. If it goes well, drugs and goods will be secretly smuggled from Moc Bai international border gate into Ho Chi Minh City and neighboring provinces for consumption.

Facing with the above situation, Moc Bai Border Gate Customs Sub-department said that in the coming time, it will continue to effectively carry out inspection, supervision, and strict control of goods, import-export luggage, and means of transport. Carry out coordination work with functional forces inside and outside the sector to exchange information on the situation of smuggling activities, illegal transportation of goods, currency, counterfeit goods, and drugs across borders, patrol and check Anti-smuggling control at the border gate area and both sides of the border gate.

In particular, focusing attention on drivers, residents of border areas, and vehicles that frequently pass through the border gate to deliver and receive goods and some key goods such as firecrackers, drugs, and medicine, wine, beer, gold, foreign currency, electronic goods, pharmaceuticals, cosmetics, granulated sugar, monosodium glutamate, confectionery, soft drinks, garments, etc and some other consumer goods.