Ba Ria – Vung Tau Customs proactively prevents drugs trafficking

Seaports at Ba Ria – Vung Tau are key area for the subjects to take advantage of smuggling especially drugs. Source: Internet

In the Cai Mep - Thi Vai transshipment port area, there are many means of transport on entry and exit having routes that travel to and from countries and regions with large drug production and consumption such as Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar, Thailand, China and the US. Along with that, passengers, crew members and workers also come from many different countries, including countries that are currently on the rise for drug-related crimes.

In the industrial parks in the area, there are more than 1,000 businesses are operating. Many enterprises import chemicals that are pre-cursor substances, which can be used to produce narcotics. Meanwhile, the smuggling and illegal transportation of drugs in the country and world are becoming more complex and sophisticated and the subjects are constantly changing methods and tricks.

The situation of trade in the world is easier, especially by sea. Vietnam is in the group of countries with a huge amount of goods in transit. The subjects often take advantage of the permissive policies of the management agencies for goods in transit to smuggle goods and drugs. The management area of ​​the Ba Ria - Vung Tau Customs Department is mainly the seaport area while it is also a key area for the subjects to take advantage of smuggling.

Facing this situation, Ba Ria - Vung Tau Customs Department has implemented many solutions to strengthen the inspection of goods as chemicals, pre-substances, goods temporarily imported and re-export, and control export goods before, during and after clearance to prevent illegal trade and transportation of narcotics.

The key areas are warehouses and yards for gathering import and export goods, bonded warehouses and places for inspecting import and export goods at construction warehouses; boat mooring, free alongside ship and loading goods on rivers transported by barge, internal transport route from port of discharge to port of destination. Key goods are those with transport routes related to major markets specialising in the manufacture and supply of drugs in the world.

Ba Ria - Vung Tau Province Customs Department also conducts supervision for imported goods with signs of violation provided by PC04 or information exchanged through the Port Control Unit (PCU), United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC).

The unit also identifies key objects for inspection and control that are enterprises regularly violating the Law on Customs; enterprises removing the business address as notified by the Tax Department, the provincial Tax Department; enterprises regularly registering for inspection at peak hours, regularly canceling export declarations that have been approved for inspection, and enterprises on the list as announced by the General Department of Vietnam Customs; subjects according to customs intelligence.