Drug smuggling continues across Tay Ninh border

	Seizing 7 kg meth from inside luggage of passenger coming from Cambodia to Vietnam
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	Tay Ninh Customs to implement the coordination well to improve the efficiency of anti-smuggling

7kg of methamphetamine seized by the Moc Bai Customs force

Illegal methamphetamine transport

According to the assessment of Tay Ninh Steering Committee 389, many cases ofsmuggling, trade fraud and illegal cross-border transportation of goods, especially narcotics,were discovered in the first six months of 2019. However, the functional forces of Tay Ninh province have seized and destroyed many large quantities of smuggled goods and drugs transported from Cambodia to Vietnam.

On the night of July 5, at the entry point of the Moc Bai international border gate checkpoint, using dogs and scanners, the Moc Bai border gate Customs Sub-Department coordinated with the Border Guard Station of Moc Bai international border gate to detectand seize methamphetamine which was hidden in a suitcase shipped from Cambodia to Vietnam by Indonesian citizen Retty Gunawan, born on June 20, 1966.

On the morning of June 29,at the crossroads of Moc Bai international border gate,the task force of Division 3 coordinated with Moc Bai Border Guard Station,directly under Steering Committee 389 of Tay Ninh province ,to inspect a car on National Highway 22 from Tay Ninh to Ho Chi Minh City. Officers detected 10 paper wrappers containing a white crystal substance.Two suspects and the car were brought to the office for further investigation.

The two suspects were Cher Wei Wan (born in 1980, of Singaporean nationality) and Duong Hung Tam (born in 1993, of Vietnamese nationality). According to initial testimony, Cher Wei Wan crossed the border to Cambodia to pick up goods and return to Vietnam. After that, they both drove the car to bring goods to Ho Chi Minh City. Seized exhibits included 10kg of methamphetamine and nearly US$3,400. The case is being investigated by the Division3, Department of Drug Crime Prevention – High Command ofBorder Guard.

On June 14, functional forces in Go Dau district, Tay Ninh province, through a vehicle search, also seized 4kg of drugs and 1,000 ecstasy tablets. Foursuspects, including Nguyen Xuan Hai, Bui Minh Bao Vy, Vuong Quoc Thai and Ngo Thi Thanh Mai traded and transported the drugs from Cambodia to Ho Chi Minh City for consumption.

The Customs forces use snifferdogs to detect drugs.

Intractable problem

According to functional forces, instances of drug smuggling on the Vietnam border line with Cambodia are increasing.Criminalscontact foreigners living in Cambodia to establish illegal transnational drug trafficking and transport lines. Statistics by force 389 of southwestern border provinces show that since2018,in the southwest border area, the have dealt with17 cases, arrested 29 suspects, seized 39 packages of heroin; 88.5kg and 190,447 tablets of synthetic drugs; and 4,241kg of marijuana.

In particular, drug-related crimes in land border areas and Tay Ninh border gates in recent years are mainly concentrated in the area of Moc Bai and Xa Mat border gates and both sides of the border gate.

The main offenders were Vietnamese who were hired to transport narcotics. In addition,there were also passengers who traveled through Cambodia to gamble and use drugs and transport small items to members of gangs.

In recent years, the work of coordinating to arrest criminals in Tay Ninh province has achieved good results but still has not met the requirements compared to the actual situation. The work of handling drug crimes faces many difficulties as there is no sharing of information from outside to control, examine and stop drug transport cases crossing border gates.

Therefore, forces need to further strengthen coordination; inspect and supervise import and export goods, immigration and transit vehicles; and strictly handle acts of smuggling, trade fraud and counterfeit goods, especially illegal drugs. At the same time, they have to innovate and improve the effectiveness of propaganda and dissemination of education for people.