News item | 29-02-2024 | 17:18
Surinamese Minister of Finance Stanley Raghoebarsing and State Secretary Aukje De Vries of Finance (Benefits and Customs) have agreed to strengthen cooperation on customs matters. The agreements should contribute to the efforts of customs organizations in both countries to combat drug smuggling. For example, Dutch and Surinamese customs officers will follow training together and the countries will exchange more information about smuggling methods.
State Secretary De Vries: “In both Suriname and the Netherlands, shipping lines and flight routes are abused by criminals to smuggle drugs. That is why we want to work together to do everything we can to combat drug smuggling. This is how we hit the criminals in their perverse revenue model.”
The Netherlands and Suriname already work well together, for example to combat drug smuggling through airports. Last year, an attaché from Dutch Customs was placed in Paramaribo, who works intensively with Surinamese Customs. In addition, Customs authorities share intelligence and information about smuggling methods. This collaboration contributes to the goal of intercepting the drugs before they leave for the Netherlands.
The countries want to further strengthen cooperation to put a stop to smuggling through seaports. That is why the Minister and the State Secretary have expressed the intention to sign a Memorandum of Understanding between the two Customs services this year, in which they will further strengthen the cooperation.
Dutch Customs sees that more and more drugs are coming from Latin America. Suriname is a transit country for cocaine from other countries. Because criminal networks behind this type of smuggling operate in an advanced manner, it is crucial to join forces internationally. The agreements should help to tackle drug smuggling at the source.
Last year, Customs intercepted 523 kilos of drugs from Suriname. That is a decrease compared to the previous year, when 1,187 kilos were intercepted. Last year the drugs mainly arrived via air freight, in 2022 this was mainly via the ports.