Saudi Customs have revealed that they seized a total of 56 million narcotic pills in 2014 besides huge quantities of alcohol. The disclosure was made on the occasion of the International Customs Day which was observed on Monday.

Saudi Customs have shown distinguished participation in the field through the translation of documents and agreements into Arabic in addition to taking part in capacity building by hosting regional workshops and trainings at the Customs Training Institute which has been approved as a regional training center.

The first accredited regional training center will soon be opened in Riyadh to train employees in the use of police dogs, making Saudi Customs a leading partner regionally and globally.

Saudi Customs also honored its partners on the occasion who contributed to achieving the slogan “Coordinated border management, a complete methodology to link relevant authorities,” through cooperation in completing electronic linkages and using technology to speed up customs procedures. These included the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the National Information Center in the Ministry of Interior and Yasser, the e-government program. Saudi Customs also honored a number of customs officers who played a major role in achieving this year’s slogan.

Saudi Customs also appreciated the importance of the coordination with business partners in the private and public sectors inside and outside the Kingdom due to the scale and magnitude of the tasks which include financial, economic, security and social aspects.

Saudi Customs have launched a number of initiatives with relevant authorities such as the implementation of the single window at ports where all private and government apparatuses related to customs are gathered under one roof. Customs also moved toward more comprehensiveness in its work through an e-linkage between Nibras and other relevant authorities.

The department made a quantum leap in customs work through the completion of procedures prior to the arrival of goods at its ports by making e-linkages with a number of customs departments in neighboring countries, such as the United Arab Emirates, Jordan, Bahrain and Qatar.

Data of customs declaration are usually received before the shipment. However, Saudi Customs recently started the implementation of passing certificates and bills in addition to cooperating with the Ministry Foreign Affairs.

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