'Drug trafficking lines tend to shift from the North to the Central region'

Over the past years, the provincial Border Guard force has made many contributions to maintaining political security in border areas, especially in coordinating the fight against TPMT through peak periods of crime suppression.

Nghe An Newspaper interviewed Colonel Duong Hong Hai - Deputy Commander of Nghe An Border Guard Command on this issue.

Border guards carry out people-to-people diplomacy and patrol to protect the border. Photo: Hoai Thu

PV:It is known that the provincial Border Guard force has just completed the Plan to coordinate the implementation of the peak period of attacking and suppressing drug crimes on the Vietnam - Laos border. Can the Colonel tell us specifically about the results achieved?

Colonel Duong Hong Hai:Drug prevention and control (PCMT) and other crimes in border areas is one of the important tasks of the Border Guard force. Plan No. 868/KH-BCH dated April 24, 2019 on coordination in implementing a peak period of attack and suppression of drug crimes (TPMT) on the Vietnam - Laos border was deployed by the Provincial Border Guard Command to implement Plan No. 1433/KH-BTL dated April 5, 2019 of the Border Guard Command on coordination in implementing a peak period of attack and suppression of drug crimes on the Vietnam - Laos border in the areas of 3 provinces of Nghe An, Ha Tinh and Thanh Hoa.

During the peak period of coordinated attacks to suppress drug trafficking, the Border Guard of Nghe An province presided over and coordinated the implementation of 7 projects, discovered, arrested, and handled 40 cases/50 subjects; seized evidence of 30 cakes and 34.26 grams of heroin, 77,640 synthetic drug pills, 27,051 kg of crystal meth, nearly 8,000 grams of ketamine, and many other weapons, explosives, and vehicles.

In addition, the leading and coordinating units also discovered and arrested 38 cases/46 subjects with 7 projects; seized tens of thousands of synthetic drug pills, more than 700 kg of crystal meth and many weapons and explosives. Completed prosecution files for 21 cases/20 subjects.

PV:In reality, the land and sea border areas have difficulties and complexities that affect the fight against drug crimes. What are those difficulties for Nghe An?

Colonel Duong Hong Hai:The land border area between Nghe An province and the provinces of Laos is 468.281 km long, stretching over 27 border communes adjacent to the three provinces of Hua Phan, Xieng Khouang, Bolikhamxay of Laos; there is 1 international border gate, 1 main border gate, 3 secondary border gates and 4 openings; the mountains and forests are rugged, the people's lives in the border area still face many difficulties with a high rate of poor households, limited education level and legal awareness. The people on both sides of the border have a long-standing close relationship, so traveling, visiting relatives and exchanging goods take place regularly. Drug criminals often take advantage of ethnic and family relationships in the border communities to illegally transport drugs into Vietnam, connecting with subjects in the border areas inland to form transportation lines to other areas for consumption with increasingly sophisticated, reckless and daring methods, mainly concentrated in border communes.

In addition, the province's sea border also has an 82 km long coastline with 34 border communes and wards and a system of seaports and estuaries... which are factors that drug criminals take advantage of to operate.

Colonel Duong Hong Hai answered an interview with Nghe An Newspaper reporter. Photo: PV

In addition, the border area of ​​Nghe An province adjacent to Laos is located near the "Golden Triangle" area, one of the major drug distribution centers in the world and the region. Subjects are ready to supply large amounts of smuggled drugs into the border area of ​​Nghe An province, causing many difficulties for the prevention and control work of functional forces.

PV:In addition to professional measures, coordination with local authorities and people on both sides of the border in preventing and suppressing TPMT is also one of the important factors to improve the effectiveness of this work. Colonel, can you give more details about this?

Colonel Duong Hong Hai:We always identify the coordination with local authorities and people on both sides of the border area in the stationed area as extremely important, as a basis for effective support for the Border Guard force to carry out its tasks, including the fight against drug trafficking. Good coordination not only helps increase the effectiveness of the drug trafficking prevention and control work but also helps the Border Guard force successfully complete the work of building and consolidating the political system at the grassroots level. This is a solid foundation for maintaining political security and developing the economy in the border area.

Specifically, the Provincial Border Guard Command regularly directs border posts to actively coordinate with local Party committees and authorities in the management area in implementing the policies and laws of the Party and the State. In particular, it focuses on propagating and disseminating legal education to help people correctly perceive and clearly identify the plots and tricks of all types of crimes, especially drug crimes, to prevent and participate in reporting crimes. In addition, promoting the role and responsibility of border guards to strengthen their role as secretaries and deputy secretaries of commune party committees, strengthening activities in weak village and hamlet party cells; implementing the policy of border guards officers and soldiers in charge of households in the fight against crime and economic development, hunger eradication and poverty reduction (up to now, 592 comrades have been assigned to help 2,836 households in the border area)...

In addition, the Border Guard force also proactively carried out international coordination in the fight against TPMT. For example, during the peak period of TPMT suppression, Nghe An Border Guard organized bilateral patrols with the functional forces of Laos with 18 rounds/180 officers and soldiers participating. Promoted the work of village-to-village friendship, friendship with Lao police stations in the fight against TPMT on the Vietnam - Laos border; coordinated with the Hua Phan Provincial Police (Laos) to carry out 2 projects, of which 1 project was successfully fought.

Evidence and subjects arrested in anti-drug trafficking projects of the Border Guard force. Photo: Hai Thuong

PV:To continue promoting effectiveness in the fight against drug crime, how will the Provincial Border Guard Command implement this work in the coming time?

Colonel Duong Hong Hai:In recent times, major drug crime lines operating from Laos to Vietnam have shifted from the Northern provinces to the Central region with many new sophisticated methods and tricks, especially in the coming time, Laos will repatriate illegal immigrants who violated its laws. Through the work of grasping the situation and the results of the previous projects and cases, it is shown that among the repatriated subjects, there will be a number of subjects involved in drug crimes. Therefore, we have proactively proposed many specific measures and tasks.

In particular, continue to focus on promoting the deployment of forces, synchronously using professional measures to grasp the activities of criminal lines and subjects to develop plans and propose the establishment of specialized projects to fight. Regularly strengthen the direction, inspection and supervision of professional work for the forces participating in the fight against drug crimes to handle situations well in the fight against drug crimes. Strengthen inspection, strictly manage and strictly implement military discipline; promptly encourage and reward collectives and individuals who have achieved achievements in performing their tasks.

In addition, the Nghe An Border Guard force will further promote coordination and actively participate in consolidating the political system in the border area to work with local Party committees and authorities to maintain peace at the border, gradually repelling all types of crimes, especially drug crimes.

PV:Thank you Colonel for this exchange.