The National Customs Directorate will have 10 powerful scanners before the end of the year. Taiwan has already bought 4 scanners that it will donate to Paraguay, the DNA bought 1 from France that would arrive in Montevideo on September 4, 3 will be repowered and 2 are up for bid, director Julio Fernández reported today.
“From having almost nothing, we will have ten powerful scanners before the end of the year,” Fernández said at the closing ceremony of the workshop “Risk Analysis in the International Supply Chain” held with the support of the Organization of American States.
“I appreciate the support of the OAS for this course on security and risk management that is extremely timely, it will be useless to have more scanners if we do not train people,” said director Julio Fernández. He added that the scanner that is arriving from France was purchased with institutional resources and with the help of the Aduana´s Brokers Center.
“We are going to take a big leap in the fight against drugs and smuggling. In our country there are six river ports through which about 90% of the containers leave. So we hope to be able to scan almost all export containers in a few months, although the goal is to scan all export cargo before the end of this government period,” Fernández said.
The Chamber of Deputies approved, with modifications, the bill “That implements the obligation to have non-intrusive inspection equipment and technologies (scanner), permanently available in primary customs zones and special surveillance areas.
The project had already been approved, in general, during the extraordinary session on August 23 and on the 24th it concluded its study, in particular. As the basis for the study, the opinion of the Industry, Commerce, Tourism and Cooperativism Commission was taken, which also underwent some modifications decided by the plenary.
One of the changes occurred in Art. 8, in which the following text was added: “For a period of two years, scanners may be installed in extra-port areas established by the Dirección Nacional de Aduanas. At the end of said term, the implementation of the equipment will be carried out simultaneously in the containerized cargo ports, whether public and/or private. It will also be possible to determine specialized surveillance zones or mobile scanners”.