A visit by officials from the Thai Office of Narcotics
Control Board (ONCB) is being welcomed as an opportunity to
strengthen a key bilateral relationship and support ongoing
work to combat the illicit transnational narcotics trade in
the Asia-Pacific region.
From 6 to 9 June 2023, ONCB
officials will be visiting New Zealand. Co-hosted by the New
Zealand Customs Service and New Zealand Police, the visit
will focus on illicit drug smuggling, including prevention,
intelligence and detection.
The delegation will visit
Customs sites in Auckland and Wellington including Auckland
International Airport, the Integrated Targeting and
Operations Centre, as well as meet with Customs’ Detector
Dog Unit.
Jamie Bamford, Customs Deputy Chief
Executive – International and Governance, said this visit is
an important opportunity to continue the growing momentum in
New Zealand’s close relationship with
Thailand.
“Our liaison officer based in Bangkok
provides a strategic and crucial link to maintaining and
enhancing this important relationship. Visits like this
cement that bilateral relationship, providing a face-to-face
opportunity to share expertise with like-minded agencies who
are combatting the illicit narcotics trade, which is a major
security risk across Asia-Pacific.
“There are
significant opportunities in our region to share
capabilities and learn from each other. Just last week, we
formalised a new Customs Mutual Recognition Arrangement with
our Thai counterparts, which will further strengthen a
well-established trading relationship by fast-tracking
high-security exporters between our
countries.
“Customs and Police also recently
completed a training programme with Thailand and countries
in Southeast Asia’s ‘Golden Triangle’, where methamphetamine
smuggling has spiked in recent years,” Mr Bamford
said.
Two kiwi intelligence experts from Customs and
Police ran a week-long training session (21-27 May) at the
Narcotic Control College in Chiang Rai, Northern Thailand, a
facility operated by ONCB. It covered the collection and use
of intelligence, and was attended by 25 officials from law
enforcement agencies across Thailand, Laos, Cambodia and
Viet Nam.
Editor’s note:
·
Customs Counsellor Southeast Asia, David Radovanovich, is
based in Bangkok and available for media interviews about
our work with ONCB and Thai Customs Department. Please
contact the Customs Communications & Media team if you
would like to speak to David about our work in the
region.
· Thailand is the second-largest economy in
Southeast Asia and New Zealand’s tenth largest trading
partner, with two-way trade worth $4.4 billion for the year
ended June 2022. Customs officials from New Zealand and
Thailand signed a Mutual Recognition Arrangement (MRA), at
the World Customs Organization regional heads meeting being
held in Perth, Australia, last week. More information is
available here.
·
Basic Intelligence Training was funded by the Ministry for
Foreign Affairs and Trade Global Security Fund.
·
Total quantities of methamphetamine sourced from East and
Southeast Asia vs. other regions (New Zealand Customs
methamphetamine seizure data)
| 2018 | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | |
| East and Southeast Asia | 69 kg | 561 kg | 53 kg | 200 kg | 806 kg |
| Other regions | 204 kg | 674 kg | 260 kg | 574 kg | 458 kg |
| Total | 273 kg | 1,235 kg | 313 kg | 774 kg | 1,264 kg |
