New tricks of criminals smuggling across the border

New tricks and tactics

Nam Can International Border Gate is one of the key areas for goods trading and border crossing between Vietnam and Laos via National Highway 7. Around this area, there are many openings and a system of trails on both sides of the border. Along with that, because this is an area with rugged mountainous terrain and sparse population, smugglers, especially drug and firecracker smugglers, often use many tricks, making it difficult for authorities to prevent and combat.

On February 14, 2025, the Border Guard force, in coordination with the Customs and PC04 Department, Provincial Police, arrested two subjects: Bounhak SonLi Nhong (born in 1981, Lao nationality) and L.D.Q (born in 1998, Vietnamese nationality), transporting 30kg of crystal meth. The method these subjects used was to hide the drugs near border markers in Ta Ca commune (Ky Son), then people and cars entered the country through Nam Can International Border Gate and then delivered the goods for consumption.

Or as before, on November 4, 2024, during the control process at Nam Can International Border Gate area, the authorities caught 5 foreigners red-handed illegally transporting drugs.

Notably, at the scene, authorities discovered 70kg of ketamine hidden in the driver's seat and in the gas tank.

Major Le Van Trung - Deputy Chief in charge of operations, Nam Can Border Guard Station, said: The methods of smugglers are increasingly sophisticated, often taking advantage of difficult terrain, darkness, or hiding goods in means of transport or personal luggage to deceive authorities.

In particular, taking advantage of the fact that vehicles passing through the border gate cannot be scanned, many smugglers of prohibited goods such as drugs and firecrackers have used tricks to modify the gas tank or chassis of cars to hide their goods. If the authorities do not have the expertise or the sniffer dogs to check, it is very difficult to detect.

Through discovered cases, it is shown that the common smuggled goods and methods of subjects crossing this border are mainly firecrackers, wild animals and animal products, drugs, rare woods, and even acts of organizing illegal border crossings.

Strengthening coordination control

Mr. Duong Cong Ly - Captain of Nam Can International Border Gate Customs, said that in addition to tricks to trade in prohibited goods such as drugs and firecrackers, recently, taking advantage of the situation of high gold prices in Vietnam, many domestic subjects have sought to connect with subjects in Laos to find ways to buy cheap gold bars and jewelry and then smuggle them into Vietnam through border gates.

At Nam Can International Border Gate, although no gold smugglers have been arrested, there are actually a number of suspects who are trying to build routes to smuggle gold. Specifically, since the beginning of this year, authorities have discovered that many people entering Vietnam brought an unusually large amount of gold jewelry. However, upon inspection, it was all fake gold.

"According to Circular 52/2017/TT-BTC, dated May 19, 2017 of the Ministry of Finance, people entering and exiting the country with passports or travel documents, when carrying gold bars or gold jewelry with a total weight of 300g or more, must declare to the Customs. Once the domestic gold price increases, with a large difference with the gold price in Laos, smugglers will certainly not hesitate to find ways to smuggle it into Vietnam" - Mr. Ly commented.

Mr. Ly also emphasized that, in the face of the complicated situation of smuggling and illegal transportation of goods across the border at Nam Can International Border Gate, the Border Guard, Customs, Nam Can Commune Police and other forces have closely coordinated, using screening equipment and sniffer dogs for inspection. At the same time,assign staff to regularly patrol and control the areamanagement unit to prevent, detect and arrest traffickerssmuggling, illegal transportation of goods across borders and other violations of the law.

According to our research, we know that the Provincial Border Guard Command and the Nghe An Provincial Customs Department (now the Regional Customs Department XI in charge of Nghe An and Ha Tinh) have also signed a coordination regulation. Thereby, promoting the strength of solidarity and cohesion, ensuring the implementation of the functions, tasks and powers assigned to each side in the fight against all types of crimes. Thereby, contributing to ensuring border security and stabilizing trade activities between the two sides of the border gate.