Monday, February 13 2006

by Maxim Kelly

A mobile x-ray scanner is the latest high-tech addition to the government'sarmoury in the fight against drug and tobacco smuggling.

Irish customs officers are going mobile with a truck-mounted x-ray scanner thatcan be deployed in 30 minutes. The scanner is suitable for scanning shippingcontainers, trailers, cars, vans and coaches and will be deployed across allIrish ferry terminals and ports. The device will be operated by two three-officerteams of specially trained revenue personnel hunting illegal drugs, contraband,explosives, firearms and stowaways.

Revenue signed a EUR3 million contract with Chinese x-ray manufacturer Nuctech inDecember 2004 that includes device maintenance and training for customs officers.Nuctech have been manufacturing container scanners since 1997 and have sold over180 worldwide, 16 of them in Europe. The company specialises in static and mobilex-ray scanners, which do not use a radioactive source in order to avoid expensiveand environmentally unsound waste treatment.

The system to be used by the Irish customs officers uses a high-energy linearaccelerator to generate x-rays which are fed through imaging software. Officersthen study real-time pictures to detect illegal cargos.

Speaking to ElectricNews.Net a Revenue spokesperson said the new mobile systemresembled a big lorry with two extending arms that reach out and scan thecontainer up and down.

Speaking at the unveiling ceremony on Monday, Taoiseach Bertie Ahern said the newequipment will help tackle containerised smuggling of drugs and contrabandtobacco.

"The United Nations Office on Drugs estimated the global illicit drug market tobe valued at over USD429billion in 2003. And with the increasing sophisticationof smugglers worldwide, detection is becoming more and more difficult. That iswhy it is essential that those who have to fight the smugglers be provided withthe tools necessary to do so," said the Taoiseach, who was speaking at thelaunch of the mobile system.

Noel Ahern TD, Minister of State with responsibility for Drugs Strategy, addedthat the Customs Service had prevented EUR160 million of illegal drugs hittingthe streets between 1999 and 2004.

The ceremony at Dublin Port was also attended by Nuctech's vice president Dr ChenZhiqiang, the Chinese ambassador His Excellency Zhang Xinsen, Ireland'sambassador to China Declan Kelleher, local TDs, representatives of portauthorities and the Defence Forces. Customs officials from Denmark, Holland,Malta, Sweden and Britain also attended the event.