Smuggling by air is heating up in the run-up to Lunar New Year’s Eve

	Lang Son Customs: drastically prevent smuggled firecrackers at the end of the year
	Tan Son Nhat Customs arrested 2.3kg of drugs in gift packages
	Ha Tinh drastically prevents smuggling at the end of year

The suitcases filled with smuggled cigars and cigarettes were arrested on January 10, 2019.

Tet gifts packages contain drugs

In the first week of 2019, the amount of postal items sent by air routes to Tan Son Nhat International Airport is gradually increasing, of which most are Tet gift baskets from many countries to Vietnam. The inspection and control of the Customs agency is always tight, in order to promptly detect violations. Through monitoring, on 9 January 2019, the Anti-Drug Control Team - Ho Chi Minh City Customs Department cooperated with the Customs Department of Express Delivery and functional forces to inspect 1 imported parcel suspected of containing narcotics. This parcel was sent from France to Ho Chi Minh City by courier service, hiding under the form of personal non-commercial gifts.

Through inspection, the Customs authorities discovered that inside the package was a phonograph. However, when opening this phonograph, the Customs authorities discovered that there were many packages of MDMA pills (ecstasy). A total of 4 drug packages were seized, weighing about 2.2kg.

Over 2.2 kg of ecstasy was discovered in the gift package on January 9, 2019.

It is worth mentioning that through verification of the address of the consignee listed on the package, the Drug Control Team discovered that this place is a rented bakery premises. According to the leadership of the Drug Control Team, to bypass the authorities and avoid responsibility when being detected, the subjects in the international drug line have used a bogus recipient's name on the bill of lading and the delivery address is a baking establishment. If the subjects had been successful, they would have found ways to receive drugs with goods sent in the form of courier service for home delivery.

On the same day, the team also detected and seized about 70 grams of MDMA pills in an air mail courier package sent from the Netherlands to Vietnam.

It is known that in 2018, with the above behaviors and tricks, dozens of drugs inside gift packages were discovered, timely prevented by the Customs Department, and seizing a huge amount of drugs of about 50 kg.

During the current peak time, the anti-smuggling forces - Ho Chi Minh City Customs Department are making great efforts, and at the same time, coordinating with other units inside and outside the sector to control key routes and objects...

Tighten the inspection

Not only many cases of drugs have been found in gift packages sent by express mail, even in the early days of the 2019, customs authorities have also discovered many cases of immigration visitors coming via Tan Son Nhat International Airport air routes who illegally transport banned goods and imported goods... This situation shows that smuggling through this route is heating up at the end of the year.

Typically, on January 10, 2019, the Anti-Smuggling Team of Southern (Team 3) - Anti-Smuggling Investigation Department - General Department of Customs and Import Baggage Procedures Team - Customs Department Tan Son Nhat international airport coordinated to examine 4 suitcases belonging to a male passenger, Vietnamese nationality, and discovered they are full of cigars, and not declared at customs when carrying out import procedures.

The male passenger, born in 1981, entered on flight number SU292 from Cuba, in transit to Moscow - Russia to Vietnam, landed at Tan Son Nhat international airport at 9:30 am on January 10, 2019.

According to customs officers, the passenger did not declare carrying goods, the import and export declaration also shows a piece of carry-on luggage. However, when the Customs authorities discovered suspicious circumstances and inspected, this suspect presented 3 more pieces of check-in baggage. The results of the inspection showed 4 suitcases were full of 2,859 cigars of all kinds, 161 vials of Vidatox (oncology drugs), for which the value of infringing goods have not yet been determined (the subject later declared the value of goods to be about 100 million VND).

Smuggling medicine is increasing VCN- On 19 December 2018, the interagency inspection delegation on the state management in pharmaceuticals, food safety ...

Previously, the Customs Department of Tan Son Nhat International Airport and the Police Department had jointly arrested and detained an immigrant who illegally transported over 200 used mobile phones that are in the list of goods banned from import. This case is being investigated by the police.

According to the Customs Department of Tan Son Nhat International Airport, currently, visitors are increasing day by day, there are more than 140 flights per day, with more than 25,000 visitors entering. With the flow of passengers entering the country during the Lunar New Year period, in addition to the allocation of support forces and quick clearance of imported luggage for passengers, the Customs Department of Tan Son Nhat International Airport is deploying key inspection and control plans to detect and timely prevent violations, especially acts of abusing the Green lane to hide fake goods, banned goods in luggage...