Strictly control goods transported by air amid pandemic

	Seizing more than 100 units of phones branded Samsung and iPhone on a flight from South Korea to Noi Bai
	Noi Bai Customs ensures pandemic prevention while facilitating export of fresh lychee
	Abandoned goods at Noi Bai airport

Mobile phones seized by Customs at Noi Bai International Airport. Photo:Thai Binh.

Carrying out detailed plans

Noi Bai International Airport Customs Branch has detected suspects smuggling and illegally transporting money and drugs by air by sophisticated tricks like using fake names and identify cards to send or receive goods at Off - Airport Cargo Terminals.

Then the suspects ship goods to domestic postal offices or hire forwarding companies or express delivery services to send the goods.

Smugglers have abused preferential legal policies and door-to-door shipping method of international forwarders, customs brokers and international express delivery to transport banned goods, conditional goods, and drugs across borders.

They hide drugs in boxes of medicine, functional foods, candies, cosmetics, powdered milk and wrapped in plastic bags to outsmart customs agencies.

In response, the branch’s working team has strengthened control measures to fight against drug-related crime at Noi Bai International Airport.

The branch has carried out plans to prevent and control drugs and precursors, and deployed customs control in 2021.

It has also implemented customs control plans at international terminal T2, warehouses and bonded warehouses, made and implemented customs supervision plans for flights, and strengthened collection and handling information for passengers and commodities.

The branch has worked with team 1, team 4, team 5 under the Anti-Smuggling and Investigation Department, Customs Enforcement Team under Hanoi Customs Department, and Police authorities to investigate suspect shipments.

Tackling huge cases

In the first half of 2021, the branch tackled 18 cases of illegally transporting of goods and cash, worked with other forces to tackle 18 cases.

Seized goods were mainly secondhand clocks, functional foods, cosmetics, dairy products, clothing, used and new mobile phones, radio speakers, medicine, wildlife products, cigarettes, and electronic cigarettes.

The local branch tackled three drugs cases and seized more than 144 kg of synthetic drugs.

Notably, Team 1 coordinated with Noi Bai International Airport Customs Branch seized 500 kg of dry gecko in two packages transported from Indonesia to Noi Bai International Airport. These products are listed in Appendix II of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES).

This is one of largest seizures at the airport from the beginning of 2021 to present.

On June 24, the team also worked with the branch to seize 134 Samsung, LG mobile phones transported from Incheon (South Korea) to Noi Bai International Airport.

Competent authorities also seized 100 core i5 chip products of computers, five iPads and 1 Macbook laptop, as well as cosmetics.

On April 13, the branch worked in coordination with other authorities to arrest Pham Van Loi, 27, for illegally transporting about 11,450 grams of MDMA synthetic drugs.

Noi Bai International Airport Customs Branch will continue to implement operational measures in customs control and strive to achieve targets in 2021, and strengthen drugs supervision control.