Task force to combat smuggling by air set up

It has eight members and is headed by Le Thanh Hai, member and permanent chief of staff of the National Steering Committee for Combating Smuggling, Commercial Fraud and Counterfeit Goods.

The other members are drawn from the Ministry of Public Security’s economic security department, the General Department of Vietnam Customs’ anti-smuggling and investigation department and the General Department of Market Surveillance.

Four cabin attendants made headlines after being taken into custody on March 17 as customs officials at Ho Chi Minh City’s Tan Son Nhat International Airport found 11.4 kilograms of ecstasy and synthetic drugs in their hand baggage.

They were arriving from the French capital Paris, and investigators are trying to find out who had given them the drugs and if they were aware they were carrying the drugs that had been hidden in toothpaste tubes.

The task force, which will dispatch officers to handle unexpected situations arising due to smuggling and also investigate commercial fraud, operates on a part-time basis, assess the situation every three months and dissolve itself if the incidence of smuggling decreases.