Arab News

Saudi Customs keep country safe from drugs

- RIYADH: ARAB NEWS

Saudi Customs have revealed that they seized a total of 56 million narcotic pills in 2014 besides huge quantities of alcohol. The disclosure was made on the occasion of the Internatio­nal Customs Day which was observed on Monday.

Saudi Customs have shown distinguis­hed participat­ion in the field through the translatio­n of documents and agreements into Arabic in addition to taking part in capacity building by hosting regional workshops and trainings at the Customs Training Institute which has been approved as a regional training center.

The first accredited regional training center will soon be opened in Riyadh to train employees in the use of police dogs, making Saudi Customs a leading partner regionally and globally.

Saudi Customs also honored its partners on the occasion who con- tributed to achieving the slogan “Coordinate­d border management, a complete methodolog­y to link relevant authoritie­s,” through cooperatio­n in completing electronic linkages and using technology to speed up customs procedures. These included the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the National Informatio­n Center in the Ministry of Interior and Yasser, the e-government program. Saudi Customs also honored a number of customs officers who played a major role in achieving this year’s slogan.

Saudi Customs also appreciate­d the importance of the coordinati­on with business partners in the private and public sectors inside and outside the Kingdom due to the scale and magnitude of the tasks which include financial, economic, security and social aspects.

Saudi Customs have launched a number of initiative­s with relevant authoritie­s such as the implementa­tion of the single window at ports where all private and government apparatuse­s related to customs are gathered under one roof. Customs also moved toward more comprehens­iveness in its work through an e-linkage between Nibras and other relevant authoritie­s.

The department made a quantum leap in customs work through the completion of procedures prior to the arrival of goods at its ports by making e-linkages with a number of customs department­s in neighborin­g countries, such as the United Arab Emirates, Jordan, Bahrain and Qatar.

Data of customs declaratio­n are usually received before the shipment. However, Saudi Customs recently started the implementa­tion of passing certificat­es and bills in addition to cooperatin­g with the Ministry Foreign Affairs.

 ??  ?? CONTRABAND: Drugs are seized frequently at ports of entry.
CONTRABAND: Drugs are seized frequently at ports of entry.

Newspapers in English

Newspapers from Saudi Arabia