Fight against drug crimes requires more synchronous and drastic efforts

• Drug Crimes Investigation Police Department and Institute of Science and Technology sign coordination deal
• Ministry of Public Security to increase application of technology in fighting drug crime

Minister To Lam speaks at the event.

Mr. Tran Quoc Vuong, Politburo Member and Permanent Member of the Secretariat, chaired the event. The event saw the presence of General To Lam, Politburo Member, Minister of Public Security; Secretary of the Party Central Committee and Head of the Party Central Committee’s Commission for Internal Affairs Phan Dinh Trac; Mr. Vu Duc Dam, Member of the Party Central Committee, Deputy Prime Minister and Chairman of the National Committee for AIDS, and Prevention of Drug Addiction, Prostitution.

The event was also attended by Mr. Nguyen Thien Nhan, Politburo Member, Secretary of the Municipal Party Committee of Ho Chi Minh city and Mr. Do Ba Ty, Member of the Party Central Committee and Vice Chairman of the National Assembly.

An overview of the conference.

Minister of Public Security To Lam pointed out recent complex developments of drug crime which, he said, is among non-traditional and trans-national security issues and also jeopardizes the country’s sustainable development, harms users’ health, and leads to many other crimes.

Echoing this, Vuong said while the drug situation remains complicated, the anti-drug combat’s efficiency and effectiveness are still modest, the coordination among all-level authorities and sectors was lax sometimes, in addition to drug rehabilitation and post-rehabilitation management yet to meet demand.

Authorities and sectors from central to local levels need to raise their cadres and Party members’ awareness of the importance of the fight, he said, asking them to consider drug prevention and control as an urgent and also regular task that requires patience, drastic moves, high resolve and close coordination among authorities, sectors and socio-political organizations.

Deputy Prime Minister Vu Duc Dam speaks at the event.

Senior delegates of the event.

The public security force is in charge of coordinating the combat while border guard and customs forces are responsible for preventing drug trafficking in border areas and ports of entry, and they must not perform this task separately, Vuong noted.

Relevant agencies should also promote cooperation with foreign partners so that the anti-drug fight will become more fruitful, according to the official.

During 10 years since the Politburo’s issuance of Directive No. 21, authorized forces uncovered more than 200,000 cases involving over 302,000 people, seizing over 7.6 tons of heroin, 3 tons of synthetic drugs and many other drug types. Added with the 2019 data, the amount of seized synthetic drugs approximated 10 tones.

Mr. Tran Quoc Vuong, Politburo Member and Permanent Member of the Secretariat, speaks at the event.

Besides, more than 209,000 drug addicts have received treatment. International cooperation in the fight against drug has been further enhanced and expanded, both bilaterally and multilaterally, especially with neighboring countries and within the ASEAN, Mekong sub-region, and other regional and global cooperation mechanisms.