Vietnam Customs cooperates to combat smuggling and transnational crime

According to the General Department of Customs, customs cooperation plays a very important role in building, developing and maintaining the ASEAN Economic Community (AEC), when ASEAN becomes a single market, a common production and distribution base in the region, through trade facilitation, free circulation of goods and implementation of ASEAN's deep economic integration goals.

Therefore, ASEAN has quickly built and continuously improved important legal bases, creating a foundation for strategic and long-term cooperation and integration in customs in the region. Milestone documents such as: ASEAN Customs Code of Conduct, ASEAN Customs Agreement, Agreement on the Establishment and Implementation of the ASEAN Single Window, Protocol on the Implementation of the ASEAN Harmonized Tariff Schedule (AHTN), Protocol on the Customs Transit System (ACTS)...

Hai Phong Customs discovered and seized a shipment containing 7.6 tons of African ivory in 2023. (Photo: Ha Thai)

The current ASEAN customs cooperation mechanism is organized according to management levels and permanent Working Groups, of which the highest level is the ASEAN Customs Directors-General Meeting. In addition, there are also ad hoc Sub-Groups, serving assigned specific tasks, such as on the ASEAN transit system, ASEAN Single Window, priority enterprises, etc.

ASEAN customs cooperation and integration activities in recent times have achieved many encouraging results such as the ASEAN Harmonized Tariff Nomenclature (AHTN), the ASEAN Customs Transit System (ACTS), the ASEAN Mutual Recognition Arrangement on Priority Enterprises (AAMRA), the ASEAN Single Window (ASW) and especially the Cooperation in Control and Enforcement of Customs Compliance.

In recent years, ASEAN has implemented many programs and initiatives on customs cooperation in the fight against smuggling, trade fraud, and ensuring supply chain security. Accordingly, Vietnam Customs has actively participated and made remarkable contributions to the overall results of ASEAN Customs control activities, notably the "Mekong Dragon" campaign.

This is an anti-smuggling initiative jointly initiated by China Customs and Vietnam Customs with the coordination support of the World Customs Organization-RILO AP and the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC). The campaign marks a highlight of Vietnam Customs in proactively integrating and cooperating in issues of strengthening control against smuggling and transnational crime in the region and globally.

The Campaign is operated under the mechanism of sharing customs intelligence (hot information and seizure information) through the use of the World Customs Organization's information security tool - CENCOmm and the designated contact point system. Vietnam Customs acts as a member of the coordination group (OCU) throughout the entire Campaign.

The campaign is a series of joint activities of Customs in the Asia-Pacific region that started in 2018 and has been carried out in 5 phases (each phase lasts about 5 months) by November 2023. The most recent 5th phase involved 25 Customs agencies, law enforcement agencies and international organizations.

Through 5 phases, Vietnam Customs has participated in developing and disseminating 115 warnings and 5 summary reports assessing the implementation of the campaign phases to all members. In the Campaign Phase V alone, Vietnam Customs and coordinating units have updated a total of 123 cases of drug and wildlife seizures. In April 2024, Vietnam Customs hosted the launching conference of the Campaign “Mekong Dragon” Phase VI in Vietnam.

The total number of seizures of Operation “Mekong Dragon” reported by members over 5 phases was 4,535 cases of drugs and CITES wildlife, with seized evidence including: 55,200 kg (55.2 tons of drugs), 108,000 kg (108 tons) of precursors, 157,000 kg (157 tons) of wood and 4,479 products from wildlife.

Source: https://congthuong.vn/hai-quan-viet-nam-hop-tac-chong-buon-lau-va-toi-pham-xuyen-quoc-gia-314205.html