Domestic and foreign criminals coordinate to traffick drugs

	35 bars of heroin and 2 kg of crystal meth and 8,000 tablets of synthetic drugs
	Border Defense force: Solve the special project and seize 60 bars of heroin and 40,000 tablets of synthetic narcotic
	179 packages of cordyceps roberti drugs were hidden in a car

Cannabis was hidden inside cake boxes

Forming drug trafficking rings

According to Anti- Drug Enforcement Team- Ho Chi Minh City Customs Department, from 2017 to the present day, the illegal purchase and transport of drugs via aviation in Ho Chi Minh City has taken place complicatedly and seriously.

The detections and seizures have shown that domestic and foreign criminals have coordinated closely to form transactional crime rings and organizations, and their operations are using increasingly sophisticated methods and tricks.

Especially, in 2017 and the first months of 2018, the illegal cannabis imports and synthetic drugs MDMA (ecstasy) in the form of gifts and donations have been taking place at an alarming level. Meanwhile, the drugs transported by passengers on exit or entry have sharply reduced compared to previous years.

Heroin was hidden in carton boxes

Notably, foreign drug criminals have taken advantage of aviation routes (including airports, post offices, and express delivery) to illegally traffick drugs from foreign countries into Vietnam for domestic consumption and transship to a third country. The Anti-drug Enforcement Team of the Ho Chi Minh City Customs Department have detected and arrested some cases of transporting drugs in large quantities from the US and European countries via aviation into Vietnam as drug precursors for export to Australia.

Actually, drug criminals have taken advantage of the facilitation policies for imports-exports, and entry and exit, especially in the implementation of Customs procedures, e-Customs clearance for imported and exported goods, postal packages and parcels, to traffick drugs with methods and tricks such as hiding it in imported and exported goods, luggage and ingesting in the body of passengers on exit or entry; or hiding between edge of luggage’s packages, inside book covers, albums and photos, food, vacuum cleaners, CD cases and bags, computer hard drives, etc; Using fake ID cards to send goods or hire Customs brokers to carry out Customs procedures for imported and exported postal packages and parcels to abdicate responsibility when being detected by the Customs.

Establishing many specialized plans

Mr. Huynh Nam said that facing with the above matter, Ho Chi Minh City Customs Department has established and deployed specialized plans on prevention to fight against and drug control, drug precursors and psychotropic substances at border gates, air ports, post offices and express delivery offices, and achieved positive results.

Specifically, Ho Chi Minh Customs Department has implemented Customs operational measures and strengthened the grasping of situation, collection, analysis and handling information, and classified key arrears, routes, objects and commodities, and used equipment and sniffing dogs to promptly detect the new methods and tricks of drug criminals, thereby actively taking measures for effective prevention and combat.

Ecstasy was detected in gift packages

The Anti-drug Enforcement Team which is the key unit in consulting with the Department has accurately analyzed and warned Customs units to focus on effectively inspecting and supervising key routes transporting drugs in each period over the past time.

In addition, the Customs units at border gates have enhanced the vigilance and implemented in accordance with operational process in Customs inspection, control and supervision for imported and exported goods, means of transport on exit or entry; and performed the duties with high responsibility to detect and prevent drug transport through the area.

Alert on the generic drugs in tablets delivering via the express VCN- Tens of thousands of generic drug tablets transported via the express were detected that is noteworthy ...

At the same time, collaborating with relevant competent agencies to strengthen patrols and supervision, the grasping of situation collection, analysis and handling information, and implementation of plans for preventing and fighting against drugs at border gates.

Dry marijuana flowers were hidden in biscuits

In addition, Ho Chi Minh City Customs Department has effectively implemented the propaganda for people, import and export enterprises, passengers on exit and entry in the vigilance with tricks of drug crime organizations, especially transactional drug crime, for collaborating well with Customs authorities to effectively prevent the evil of drugs.

In 2017, Ho Chi Minh City Customs Department detected 26 cases of illegal drugs transport, seized 38 kg drugs of all types and provided information to Cambodia Customs to seize 800g of cocaine trafficked by passengers on entry. In the first 3 months of 2018, the entire Department detected 19 cases of illegal drugs transport and seized over 31 kg of drugs. Of which, 24kg of cannabis and 7.2 kg of ecstasy MDMA were seized.