New Delhi: Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman Monday called for intergovernmental cooperation to share “actionable information” to crack down on the masterminds behind smuggling and illicit trade networks.
She said the focus of enforcement agencies should be to nab the “brain” behind illegal trade, which would in turn act as a deterrence for such unlawful activities that hurt the economy as well as citizens.
The nature of smuggled or illegally traded goods has not changed over the last 50-60 years and it continues to be precious metals, narcotics, and precious reserves from forest or marine life, Sitharaman said at the Global Conference on Cooperation in Enforcement Matters organised by the Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI).
“Largely the goods which are illegally traded remain the same. There are no newer areas on which the customs authorities are baffled. If this is the way it is showing a trend over the decade, by now most of us should be fairly informed of who are the forces behind it.
“I place a lot of emphasis on intergovernmental cooperation, along with WCO (World Customs Organisation), so that we are able to crack the brains behind it (smuggling), the masterminds behind it, with the help from local authorities and governments,” the minister said.
She said deterrence of illicit trade will be strengthened if all confiscated goods are destroyed and not put into the market.
“It is also periodically our duty to restore confidence in the minds of citizens saying such activities will be punished, will be curbed, and will be deterred. So if only gold, cigarettes, narcotics, antiques and wildlife materials are being smuggled, it is your experience which will have to show us the direction and the path forward so that we are able to contain this evil because it hurts all our economies,” Sitharaman said.
Stating that prevention and deterrence would help in curbing the menace of illicit trade and smuggling, she said enforcement agencies are at an advantageous position as they are armed with technology. “Technology should go hand in hand with information sharing. And when you share information, it should be actionable,” the minister said.
The sharing of information should also include innovative thoughts, on legislations which have empowered authorities and on procedures which have come in handy, she said.
“It is important for all governments to know how to deter smuggling activities which are endangering our wild flora and fauna, how to deter activities where networked groups think that small fries can be sacrificed, police or customs authorities can catch hold of this small (fries) and larger fish, which is the brain behind, is never going to be caught,” Sitharaman added.
The minister also suggested that all the antiques, which are stolen and smuggled, should be returned to their home countries.
Central Board of Indirect Taxes and Customs (CBIC) chief Sanjay Kumar Agarwal said as global trade continues to interconnect and economies flourish, there is a corresponding rise in the potential for unlawful movement of restricted items like antiques, cigarettes, gold and endangered wildlife species, amongst others.
“The undercurrent of illegal trade in narcotics remains strong. Global drug trafficking is estimated to be worth $650 billion, contributing 30 per cent of the overall illicit economy. It is having a devastating impact…,” he said, adding the crimes involving illicit trade many a time have possible linkages with money laundering and terror financing, which impacts national security.
“We understand export-import fraud threatens the global supply chain and is inimical to economic and national security. Thus, we collectively work to defeat the transnational syndicate for which there is a constant need for cooperation and coordination of national and international law enforcement agencies,” he said.
Agarwal said the theme of the conference: ‘It takes a network to fight a network’ is built upon the importance of intelligence and information sharing to curb such illegal trade.
He said it is vital to share “insights into emerging trends and advanced detection techniques, particularly in the context of drug-related crimes” with the emergence of a closely connected digital world and layers of anonymity.
Revenue Secretary Sanjay Malhotra said while the need to combat the menace of smuggling is important, we also need to put in place trade facilitative measures, which reduce costs of business and enhance competitiveness.
“The sheer scale of smuggling, use of advanced technology and the presence of highly sophisticated networks make their (illegal trade) detection very difficult and challenging. Adoption of modern technology by law enforcement agencies therefore required to deal with this menace,” Malhotra added.
During the event, Sitharaman also launched the fourth phase of ‘Operation Sesha’ by the DRI in association with WCO’s Regional Intelligence Liaison Offices (RILO) Asia Pacific and Middle East. The operation was first launched in 2015 to curb the illicit trade of endangered timber.
PTI