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| Hai Phong Customs officers used sniffer dogs to search containers containing smuggled ivory (March 23, 2024). |
According to General Department of Vietnam Customs, in the first quarter of 2024, the situation of smuggling, trade fraud, counterfeit goods, and illegal transportation of goods is very complicated, especially during the Lunar New Year 2024.
The activities of criminals buying, selling, and illegally transporting narcotics and precursors across borders are extremely complicated, with the activities of gangs and transnational crime lines taking advantage of the incentives policy, investment attraction, commercial activities to establish businesses in Vietnam to transport vehicles, equipment, raw materials, rent warehouses… It aimed to serve the production and transportation of illegal drugs from overseas to Vietnam and continue to send them to third countries for consumption.
In addition, imported precursors also pose a potential risk of being exploited and manufactured illegally drugs.
Faced with the above situation, General Department of Vietnam Customs has concretized and implemented key plans and work programs in each area to warn and guide localities on anti-smuggling in the customs control area and thoroughly grasp the implementation of several tasks on sanctioning administrative violations… and solutions to raise awareness and responsibility of officials, and the effectiveness of sanctioning administrative violation.
Advising the Ministry of Finance to coordinate with Ministry of Public Security to organize a conference on drug prevention via air routes between the Customs and Police forces; Developing a report to the Prime Minister on the results of implementing the Mekong Dragon Campaign phase 5 and the plan on the implementation of Mekong Dragon Campaign phase 6.
As a result, in the first quarter of 2024, the Customs sector discovered, arrested and handled 3,483 cases of violations, with the total value of violated goods estimated at VND 5,816.4 billion.
The Customs Department has prosecuted 4 cases, and transferred to other agencies to propose prosecuting 30 cases; the amount collected and paid to the budget is VND116.3 billion.