Prime Minister Dr. Ahmed Awad bin Mubarak chaired, on Tuesday, in the interim capital Aden, a meeting of the Supreme Committee to Combat Smuggling, which followed up and evaluated the ongoing efforts to combat smuggling in all its forms, including tracking currency and money smugglers and criminal networks that try to harm the national economy and affect the living conditions of citizens.
The meeting addressed the integration of efforts at the military, security, judicial and governmental levels to curb smuggling, and the level of implementation of Cabinet decisions aimed at strengthening efforts to protect sea and land ports to deter smuggling and smugglers.
He also assessed the measures taken to implement the provisions of the Prime Minister’s decision on combating the smuggling of currencies, money and precious metals, and emphasized that the concerned authorities bear their responsibilities in strictly implementing the decision in a way that contributes to enhancing national and economic security.
A number of committee members presented reports on the implementation of the outcomes of the previous meeting, including the job rotation procedures for all leaders and employees working at land and sea ports from all government agencies, armed forces and security forces. The committee praised the ministries and agencies that implemented the rotation process, and directed the rest of the agencies to accelerate the implementation of the job rotation process and the treatments taken to correct the conditions of land and sea ports to fulfill their tasks in an optimal manner.
The head of the Customs Authority, Dr. Abdul Hakim Al-Qabati, presented a presentation on the measures taken by the authority within its responsibilities to combat smuggling, including the reactivation of the smuggling sector, the establishment of relevant departments in the authority, offices and customs outlets, in addition to the rehabilitation of customs officers internally and externally. He explained that 124 large customs seizures were seized at customs outlets, including 69 kilograms of gold. He pointed to the ongoing coordination with the security and military authorities about the seizures, the prosecution of smugglers, and the demarcation of cigarettes that do not bear the pendulum stamp.
The committee praised the role played by the military and security establishment and the specialized agencies in limiting and controlling smuggling operations, especially the smuggling of Iranian weapons to the Houthi terrorist militia, drugs, and other activities that harm national security, the national economy and public health, and the importance of redoubling efforts to reduce the catastrophic risks of this scourge on the nation and society.
The Prime Minister directed to turn all the approved measures into executive action matrices to develop the level of procedures related to combating smuggling, monitor and follow up on the level of achievement and hold those who fail to do so accountable. He emphasized the pivotal role of local authorities, the media and civil society in supporting anti-smuggling efforts, as it affects the national economy and affects various security and health sectors.
