Vietnam joins regional customs efforts
Vietnam has participated in joint-action programmes to develop procedures to share information on drug control and environmental criminals.
The Deputy Head of Vietnam Customs General Department, Nguyen Van Can, made the statement at the Regional Intelligence Liaison Offices for Asia and the Pacific-World Customs Organisation (RILO AP-WCO) Conference in Danang on December 17.
Information sharing from customs agencies among regional member countries has supported Vietnam in fighting smuggling, trans-national crimes and fraudulent trading, Can said.
He added that Vietnam's customs officials have implemented a modernisation process in building transparent procedures with updated information technology, meeting international standards.
The conference, which saw the participation of 50 deputies from Sri Lanka, the Republic of Korea, the Philippines, Thailand, Indonesia, New Zealand, Singapore, Hong Kong, Vanuatu, Japan, Tonga, mainland China, Macau, Australia, Bangladesh, Papua New Guinea, India, Iran, RILO WE (Western) and RILO ECE (East and Central European), aims to review co-operation programmes and discussions on difficulties in exchanging intelligence among member countries.
Participants also discussed measures to control illegal border crossings, transport of chemicals and waste, and drug trafficking in the Asia-Pacific region.
According to the latest report, Vietnam's Customs General Department had over 20,000 cases, with a total value of over VND551 billion (US$26 million) in 2013.
It also confiscated 70 packs of heroin weighing 61kg; 4.5kg of opium and 1,002kg of marijuana, as well as 30,000 tablets and 12.4kg of methamphetamine.
The report also said the customs agency seized an illegal transport of over 4,200kg of pangolin and scales, 2 tonnes of elephant tusks and 20kg of rhino horns this year.