The Anti-Drug Special Task Unit No.3, under the Command of the Vietnam Coast Guard (VCG) is tasked with giving advice to the VCG’s Party Committee and Command on handling violations of national security and sovereignty and crime at sea, especially preventing and combating drug crime in the area of its responsibility. In the process of task performance, a part from advantages, it is confronted with a lot of difficulties. As the area of the Unit’s responsibility is large, its personnel and means are scattered. There are always changes in leadership and command of the Unit. Besides, there is a difference in its cadres and employees’ capacity and hands-on experience. Meanwhile, the requirements set by drug crime prevention and combat have been increasingly demanding. The Unit has faced difficulties in investigating, prosecuting and handling cases in several places, particularly amidst the complex developments of COVID-19, thereby profoundly impacting on its professional operations. Moreover, artifices used by drug-related criminals are increasingly cunning and impulsively; when being detected and arrested, they are prepared to employ weapons to respond to competent forces. Therefore, to successfully fulfil all assigned tasks, the Unit’s Party Committee and Command have synchronously, drastically, effectively adopted many close, sound leadership and direction measures. In this regard, emphasis has been placed on preventing and fighting against drug crime in the sea of the Unit’s responsibility.

First of all, the Unit has well carried out the work of propagation and education to raise its personnel’s awareness and responsibility for drug crime prevention and combat. To enable its cadres and soldiers to grasp legal normative documents in the fight against drug crime, the Unit has directed its affiliates to focus on introducing the Law on Drug Prevention and Combat, resolutions, directives and plans by the Government, the National Steering Board 389, the Ministry of National Defence Steering Board 1389, the VCG’s Command on preventing and fighting against drug crime at sea as well as the Directive 202/CT-BTL, dated January 16^th, 2017 by the VCG’s Command (the present-day Directive 212/CT/ĐU, dated June 10^th, 2021 by the VCG’s Party Committee) on implementing the “four-good, four-no, four-combat” movement in accordance with their particularities, task, and area of responsibility. Due attention has been paid to disseminating the function and task of the VCG and the anti-drug specialised forces, negative impacts made by drug, and remedial measures amongst the Unit’s cadres and soldiers, students, citizens, and fishermen in the area.

A flag salute ceremony on the island of Phu Quy

In addition, the Unit has frequently renewed and made forms and methods of propagation and education relevant to each group of troops, while closely combining collective education with individual education, with greater importance attached to independent sections, and organising the work of education according to specialised topics in tandem with its emulation movements. The Unit has selected excellent rapporteurs with great prestige to be in charge of the work of propagation and education in the localities with complex developments of drug use and crime, such as Khanh Hoa, Binh Thuan, Ba Ria - Vung Tau, and Ho Chi Minh city. In parallel with those above-mentioned activities, the Unit has proactively conducted the work of internal political protection to prevent drug criminals from bribing its cadres and soldiers, while closely, effectively combining drug crime prevention and combat with COVID-19 prevention and control. Doing so has helped the Unit to raise the awareness and responsibility of its staff members and local citizens for drug crime prevention and combat.

Furthermore, the Unit has closely aligned fundamental training with professional training. On a yearly basis and in each period, the Unit has attached significance to grasping the Resolution 397-NQ/ĐU by the VCG’s Party Committee on “improving the quality of training in the period of 2013-2020 and beyond,” the combat training order by the VCG’s Commander, and its task as well. Grounded on those documents, its affiliates have developed and seriously executed action plans at all levels. In the training process, consideration has been given to following the motto of “basics, practicality, thorough grasp” and organising training courses in accordance with the Unit’s function, task, and existing weapons and equipment. As a result, all training courses held by the Unit have been rated as distinction or merit, with the absolute safety of personnel, weapons, and equipment. In order to raise the effectiveness of drug crime prevention and combat, based on each section’s specialised task, a part from refresher courses held by higher echelons, the Unit has proactively cooperated with relevant anti-drug police units and people’s procuracies in organising training courses on drug prevention and combat at sea in each province and municipality. Great value has been attached to classifying staff members into groups to hold refresher courses and requiring superiors to train their subordinates. Due regard has been paid to closely combining fundamental and regular training with the sharing of practical experience in dealing with drug-related criminals, particularly in investigating and cracking special cases and cases. Doing so has allowed the Unit to improve its cadres and soldiers’ capability and skills in preventing and fighting against drug crime at sea and make significant contributions to raising the effectiveness of handling violations of law and criminals in the area. Many creative, effective models and approaches of the Unit have been highly appreciated and multiplied by the VCG’s Command and localities’ competent offices.

To achieve a steady positive change in its task performance, the Unit has concentrated on promoting the role of its cadres at all levels in drug crime prevention and combat. Emphasis has been placed on building a contingent of cadres who would have political zeal and a sense of unity and discipline, play a really exemplary, vanguard role, and match their words with action. The Unit has asked its cadres to renew their working style and method in a scientific, ingenious, flexible, effective manner. Key cadres at all levels have been required to show their assertiveness, creativity, and enthusiasm, dare to think, dare to do, and dare to take responsibility. Additionally, the Unit has frequently consolidated the pool of its cadres, while appointing cadres with pure morality and great capacity to hold important positions, particularly within anti-drug special task teams and relevant offices. Due attention has been paid to monitoring cadres’ task performance to formulate plans for appointment properly. With reference to the task of drug crime prevention and combat, in addition to organising “compact and strong” forces with “iron will and great professional competence,” the Unit has assigned its commanding officers and assistants to directly monitor and provide support for its sections’ task performance. Cadres at all levels have been asked to heighten a sense of responsibility for dealing with drug-related cases, while the Unit’s Command has directly grasped the situation and closely cooperated with relevant functional offices in the area in opportunely, effectively, lawfully handling such cases. As a result, all-level cadres of the Unit have always brought into play their role and responsibility in their work and greatly contributed to raising the effectiveness of drug crime prevention and combat, and maintaining political security, social order, and safety at sea and in the area.

To create the synergy for the fight against drug-related criminals, the Unit has proactively collaborated with relevant forces in its professional operations. Grounded on the Decision 133/2002/QĐ-TTg, dated October 9^th, 2002 by the Prime Minister and the annual plan for cooperation between the Ministry of National Defence and the Ministry of Public Security in protecting national security, maintaining social order and safety, preventing and fighting against crime, the Unit has seriously implemented the Regulations on cooperation with the Public Security Force, the Border Guard Force, the VCG, and the Customs Force in the fight against drug-related criminals in border areas, border gates, and seas. Due attention has been paid to maintaining relationships and exchanging information between the Unit and relevant forces in the area. In the process, key cadres of the Unit have frequently taken part in working groups to opportunely settle situations and violations. On a yearly basis and in each period, the Unit has closely cooperated with other relevant ones in organising conferences to review its task performance, draw lessons, and overcome weaknesses. Up to now, the Unit has completed fundamental investigations into 41 zones, while establishing more than 60 secret bases and a good-quality network of informants. It has built cases on 170 suspects, investigated and cracked 223 special cases and cases (including 160 independent cases), and arrested over 400 people (with nearly 105 kilograms of crystal methamphetamine, 100 packs of heroin, nearly 17 kilograms of ketamine, 32,526 tablets of crystal meth, 24 cars, 172 motorbikes, and 4 military guns). It should be noted that the Unit has collaborated with the C04 Department (under the Ministry of Public Security) and the PC04 Division (under Ho Chi Minh city's Public Security Department) in investigating and cracking 4 special cases and cases of drug transport and trafficking and arresting 14 people, thereby making contributions to maintaining political security and social order and safety in the area. With its remarkable achievements, the Unit has been given the title of Comprehensively Strong Unit (2014 and 2017) and the Flag of Good Training Unit (2016 and 2017) by the Ministry of National Defence. 3 staff members of the Unit have been presented with the title of Army-wide Emulation Soldier. It has been given the Certificate of Merit (2018, 2019, and 2020) for its achievements in drug crime prevention and combat by the Chairman of the Provincial People’s Committee of Ba Ria - Vung Tau, while many of its collectives and individuals have been presented with rewards by the VCG’s Command.

In the upcoming time, the Coast Guard Anti-Drug Special Task Unit No.3 will be faced with a lot of challenges. Bringing into play its recorded results and experience, it will keep successfully fulfilling the task of drug crime prevention and combat to contribute to building a “typically, exemplarily” comprehensively strong unit for the Homeland protection in the new situation.

Lt. Col. PHAM MANH NGAN, Commander of the Unit