Drug, wildlife crime crackdown operation successful: conference
Operation Mekong Dragon V (OMD V), a programme cracking down on drug and wildlife trafficking in Asia-Pacific, was successful, heard a conference held by the General Department of Vietnam Customs in Hanoi on November 21.
OMD is a joint action programme of customs agencies and other law enforcement bodies in the Asia-Pacific region to fight the illegal trading in drugs, wild animals and plants, and products from the species in the list of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES).
Co-initiated by the customs authorities of Vietnam and China, the programme was launched in 2018 with technical support from the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) and the Regional Intelligence Liaison Office for Asia and the Pacific (RILO AP). Five phases of the programme have been carried out so far.
OMD V was implemented from April 15 to November 16, 2023 with the participation of 25 customs agencies, law enforcement bodies, and international organisations. As many as 1,715 cases were uncovered during the period as reported by member countries, surging 111% from the fourth phase, statistics showed.
Addressing the event, representatives of the Vietnamese and Chinese customs forces and international organisations affirmed that OMD V was successful.
They said the operation’s success showed the activeness of Vietnam Customs, whose cooperation quality, seriousness, and sense of responsibility were highly valued by international customs and law enforcement agencies.
During the operation, the police departments for drug crime investigation and environmental crime combat under the Vietnamese Ministry of Public Security also coordinated with the customs force to investigate and uncover many drug and wildlife trafficking cases. They also contributed many ideas to the operation.
Kim Hyeon Seok, head of RILO AP, said drug trafficking is the main source of revenue for organised crime gangs, and fighting drug crimes is always one of the top priorities of RILO AP member customs agencies. Besides, illegal wildlife trading is also often supported by organised crimes and big resources to be carried out on a large scale.
Therefore, OMD is a practical and effective move in international cooperation in crime prevention and control, he noted.
OMD is assessed as one of the most successful crackdown operations in the Asia-Pacific in terms of the numbers of members (nearly 30) and the cases updated on its information system. Intelligence information has been shared among countries to help deal with many major drug and wildlife trafficking cases.
