Marijuana across the border of An Giang is increasingly complex

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Perpetrator Chau Thi Nit (second from right) with exhibits of the case of illegal transport of 13kg of marijuana was detained at Tinh Bien border gate.

On the afternoon of 12th May, 2018, at Tinh Bien border gate,Tinh Bien border guard force collaborated with the Customs force under Tinh Bien Border Customs Branch to detect and arrest a perpetrator who carried cannabis from Cambodia to Vietnam. When the perpetrator was riding a motorbike into Vietnam with control plate 67-F1 00413, she was arrested by these forces right at the border. On the motorbike were 2 cartons containing more than 13kgs of marijuana leaves and flowers. The perpetrator advocated that she was Chau Thi Nit, born in 2002, living in Van Giao commune, Tinh Bien district, An Giang province. She confessed that she was hired to carry the marijuana by a man (unknown name) from Ta Lop market, Kirivong district (Ta Keo, Cambodia) to Vietnam for consumption.

Earlier, on the night of 10th April, 2018, the competent forces also discovered an offender transporting marijuana from Cambodia to Vietnam for consumption. The offender was arrested at National Road 91, My Binh Ward (Long Xuyen City, An Giang Province) by the Drug Crime Investigation Division and the Road Traffic Police Division together with the Customs force. The competent forces inspected a car with control plate 51A - 517.30, and discovered that it was carrying 13kg of dried marijuana.

According to An Giang Customs, from the end of 2017, An Giang province's competent forces have detected many cross-border trafficking and transportation activities involving marijuana. An example was arresting a family transporting a case of 24 kgs of marijuana leaves, flowers, buds and stems on a car with control plate 51F-96507. Another example is the arrest of a offender named Danh Dam, born in 1948, living in Hon Dat district, Kien Giang province while transporting 28 kgs of marijuana flowers, leaves, buds and stems at Lac Quoi commune, Tri Ton district, An Giang province.

It was thought that the illegal across-border trade and transport of dried marijuana had stopped, but in fact, the trade and transport of dry marijuana from Cambodia to Vietnam has become more complicated, especially from the beginning of the year to now, when the competent forces have repeatedly seized a lot of transport cases of marijuana.

On National Road No. 91 in Long Xuyen City, on the night of 2nd February 2018, the Drug Crime Investigation Police Division coordinated with the Road Traffic Police Division, Customs force and Border Guard of An Giang to administratively inspect a car control plate 64A - 044.86, driven by Nguyen Truong Giang (born in 1990, residing at Xuan Hoa hamlet, Tinh Bien township, Tinh Bien) and detected that the man was transporting about 20kgs of dried marijuana. The above marijuana was hidden in a black nylon bag in the trunk. Giang declared that he was hired by a man to transport an amount of flowers, leaves, buds and stems from Van Giao (Tinh Bien) to the Can Tho city for a shipping fee of VND 5 million, when coming to TP. Long Xuyen, he was caught by the competent forces.

Huynh Ngoc Ho, Director of Tinh Bien border gate Customs Branch said that the Branch is always determined on one side to create favorable conditions for export and import activities in border areas, and on the other side, to take professional measures to control and promptly detect acts of smuggling and illegal cross-border goods transport, especially acts related to the trafficking of narcotics and cannabis.

At the conference in the first quarter on the coordination between the police, the Border Guard and Customs of An Giang on combating crime, ensuring social order and safety, the leader of An Giang Customs Department said that in the fight against drug crimes in the border areas, the police, border guard and Customs forces have taken many appropriate measures well, and have achieved some certain results.

Mass arrests of air transported marijuana VCN- There were 18 cases of illegal transportation of drugs (cannabis) transported by air discovered by the ...

However, Mr. Nguyen Tan Buu, Deputy Director of an Giang Customs Department said, "The coordination of detecting and preventing drug crimes at border gates and border areas has not been as effective as expected. A number of inadequacies in the fight against drug crimes need to be overcome such as basic investigations. The establishment of secret networks have not been conducted regularly, and the coordination and information among competent forces on key routes have not been timely. The coordination between Customs and Border guards and local authorities in the prevention and control of drug crimes has not been regular and close. It is necessary to further strengthen the coordination in drug prevention and fight, especially in information exchange "