How Can We Prevent Drug Smuggling?

I think you know how frustrating and irritating it is to be blamed for something that you did not do, right? Well, ships and cargo owners often experience this scenario, mainly because they are an easy target for drug smuggling. Cargos and ships are enormous, especially those dry cargo ships that can carry cars and even big trucks. 

Drug smugglers use that to their advantage and hide the drugs somewhere on the ship to be passed to different countries. Of course, these people don’t want to be seen, so they hide the drugs and leave immediately. This is why when the ship or cargo gets inspected, and the law enforcement recover drugs from the ship, the owner of the ship will be the one who will be put to jail. There are also cases where the drug smugglers hide the drugs in the cars parked in the cargo. 

The car owner will be arrested for drug smuggling and drug trafficking because they are found in their vehicle. These false accusations are hard to defend because you cannot simply say that the drugs are not yours. You need to have solid and efficient evidence to prove your innocence. Luckily, there are drug trafficking attorneys willing to provide their assistance and help those who are falsely accused of drug trafficking. 

But you cannot rely on these lawyers all the time; you need to do something to prevent drug smuggling from happening to your ship. As I have mentioned above, ships and cargo is always the target for smuggling, which is why the article will tackle some ways on how you can prevent drug smuggling from happening.

1.Limit the access on the cargo or the cargo area

Controlling the people coming in and out of the cargo area would help determine if there are drug smugglers or not. You also need to have a thorough inspection of the cars to prevent having smuggled drugs. Most drug smugglers use the susceptibility of cargo spaces because many people can go in and out. 

You need to tighten your security line in that area because there are many ways to conceal drugs on vehicles. They could be hidden on tires, engines, or even stitched onto the chairs of the cars. If you have tighter security in the area and no one is allowed to enter after parking the vehicle or placing the container, there would be lesser suspects if there are drugs hidden in containers or cargos.

2.Thorough and Systematic search before departure and upon arrival

There are drug smuggling cases in South Africa wherein drug-related divers who place cylinder drugs on the ship’s haul to be taken by their other members when the ship reaches its destination. 

Having a thorough and systematic search with the government’s help will determine any smuggled drugs in your ship. But there are ports where drug smuggling is rampant, which is why they have an enhanced shore-assisted inspection with the help of K9 drug sniffers and professional divers to have a final check on the ship. 

They also have pre-departure check-ups to look out for trespassers and unauthorized or suspicious people on board.

3.Strict Identification System for all Passengers

The ship might be big, but you can easily determine the identity of each of your passengers if you have a stricter identification system. 

The passenger should confirm that they are booked on that ship through photographic ID. Suppose there are people who are unidentified and cannot provide proof that they are boarding that ship. In that case, they will be sent to the Company Security Officer, the Ship Security Officer, and the Port Facility Security Officer to do some additional investigation and clarification.

Drug smuggling is a serious crime, which is why taking any necessary precautions to prevent it from happening is a wise thing to do. These are just a few of the many more tips you can do to avoid having a case of drug smuggling. Be sure to consider these and protect yourself from false accusations of any drug-related crimes.