Vietnam Customs wins Asia Environmental Enforcement Awards

VOV.VN - The Anti-smuggling Investigation Department under the General Department of Vietnam Customs has been honoured with the Asia Environmental Enforcement Awards in the Collaboration category.

The sixth Asia Environmental Enforcement Awards were organised virtually on November 30 by the UN Environment Programme (UNEP), the UN Development Programme, the UN Office of Drugs and Crime (UNODC), INTERPOL, the World Customs Organization, and the Secretariat of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES).

According to details posted on UNEP’s website, the Enforcement Division of Thai Customs Department, the Anti-Smuggling Bureau of Huangpu Customs, and the Anti-Smuggling and Investigation Department of Vietnam Customs were awarded this time for their joint collaboration in the Asia-specific Operation Mekong Dragon II.

The Thai Customs Department intercepted two shipments destined for China in late 2020 that contained logs and processed pieces of a plant, the Dalbergia, listed in Appendices I and II of the CITES. Upon this discovery, all three teams exchanged, inspected, and verified shipment details and uncovered substantial plant smuggling operations from Vietnam under falsified declarations and forged CITES permits.

“Thanks to all the awardees’ constant efforts, the joint operation led to the arrest of four members of criminal gangs and the seizure of 29 tonnes of illegally smuggled plants,” says UNEP.

This year has seen four nominations successfully awarded from over 115 entries submitted from across the region. For their outstanding achievements, recipients were also granted awards in three other categories of innovation, gender leadership and women empowerment.

The awards acknowledge the winners’ contribution to the effective enforcement of environmental laws and regulations, with a specific focus on the illegal wildlife trade.

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