Policy & Compliance
A series of recent articles and announcements have highlighted that the supply chain is, in all probability, increasingly being used by criminals to transport illicit goods. It is appropriate to highlight these issues to Members The growing problem of crime in the supply chain
Southampton. Three suspects were arrested as they began unloading the container at an industrial premises in north-east Birmingham. An additional arrest was made later. The freight forwarder’s ability to disrupt these illegal trades is limited. In many ways, the best course of action is “know your customer”. We receive many enquiries from Members about shipments and it is clear that closer scrutiny of the movement and parties involved would lead to much greater caution when taking on business. There are two other policy areas where Members should consider tightening up. The first is to ensure that they have a clearly defined and internally publicised incident reporting process. A suitable senior manager should be appointed and procedures implemented to ensure that suspicious movements are reported to, for instance, Operation Pandora. It has to be remembered that export movements can be non-compliant as well. Recently BIFA was contacted by a Member regarding a movement supposedly for Dubai – but the packing cases were clearly marked for a destination in Teheran. Recruitment policies Secondly, all freight forwarders, regardless of discipline, should consider their recruitment policies, particularly relating to taking up references, to ensure that new employees are actually who they say they are and to identify any unexplained gaps in their employment history. Having an operator on the inside is a great asset to criminal gangs. In aviation, due to ever stricter security related regulation, the screening of an employee’s employment history over the previous five years is a mandatory requirement. Members should realise that there can be a negative impact on them when illicit trade is disrupted – invoices will in all probability be unpaid, but carriers, etc, will expect payment from the forwarder for carriage and services performed. Also, as a result, government departments and agencies, depending on the circumstances, may subject the freight forwarder to greater scrutiny.
C rime within the supply chain has always been present. BIFA can recall the ‘Belgium beer’ smuggling issue of a few years back and, of course, many Members involved in movements across the Short Straits from the EU are fully aware of the In many ways, trade is an inviting method in which to move goods and people illicitly. The supply chain is highly complex, involving many entities, which can make due diligence difficult. Also, it is high volume; packages are anonymous and when packed in unitised devices, the level of anonymity increases. BIFA is an active supporter of operation Pandora (see panel on page 23) which is run by Border Force and provides an anonymous problems with clandestines stowing away in vehicles. method for Members to report suspected fraud and criminal activities. Such programmes are set against low inspection rates in the UK. Risk assessments As the BIFA Secretariat includes many personnel previously employed as freight forwarders, and through regular contact with Members, we are aware that many Members are already conducting informal risk assessments, based on the client, commodity and route. This helps disrupt illicit trade to some extent, but there is always a less diligent party who will accept the business. Two recent articles caught our attention, highlighting the movement of drugs through the supply chain which Members should be aware of. The first was a press release from the TT Club, which highlighted criminal gangs using European import trades to smuggle goods into Europe. Reports include:
Pictured right: £38.8 million worth of heroin was recovered from a cover load of pomegranate juice - National Crime Agency
cocaine in containers of fruit through the port of Antwerp; in Rotterdam, narcotics were discovered in reefer containers carrying melons from Panama; Ecstasy with a value of €1.5 million was discovered in a truck at Calais; Le Havre was reported to be emerging as a hotspot for cocaine imports; and 133 kg of marijuana and hashish was discovered at the port of Motril in southern Spain brought in from North Africa. In addition, there have been reports of gangs with links to Brazil operating in Lisbon and Oporto. At the moment information is fragmented, but the TT Club is devoting resource to collating detailed reporting, including that of its partner BSI Screen, to create greater awareness of the methods used by the criminal gangs, the extent of their geographical reach and the trade lanes used to smuggle drugs. UK cases It would be wrong to think that the UK is isolated from this issue. A recent National Crime Agency (NCA) news item reported that £38.8 million of heroin was recovered from a cover load of pomegranate juice. The consignment of Class A drugs, weighing 388 kg, was recovered from a shipping container that had been imported through the port of
“ The TT Club is devoting resource... to create greater awareness of the methods used by the criminal gangs, the extent of their geographic reach and the trade lanes used to smuggle drugs.
July 2023 | 17
www.bifa.org
Made with FlippingBook Annual report maker