Customs Surveillance Service

Customs Surveillance Service
Servicio de Vigilancia Aduanera
Common name ADUANAS / CUSTOMS
Abbreviation SVA also DAVA

Patch of the Spanish Customs Service

Badge of the Spanish Customs Service

Flag of the Spanish Customs Service with the double crowned H, symbol of the Spanish Royal Treasury
Motto Por tierra, mar y aire
Through land, sea and air
Agency overview
Formed Reorganized on February 12, 1982, since the 16th century
Preceding agencies
  • Servicio Especial de Vigilancia Fiscal
  • Servicio Especial de Vigilancia Marítima y Terrestre de Tabacalera S.A.
Employees 2,000
Legal personality Governmental: Government agency
Jurisdictional structure
National agency Spain
Governing body Government of Spain
Constituting instruments
  • Decreto Real 319/1982
  • Ley Orgánica 12/1995
General nature
Specialist jurisdictions
  • Customs.
  • National border patrol, security, and integrity.
Operational structure
Overviewed by Deputy Directorate of Customs Surveillance
Headquarters Madrid, Spain
Minister responsible Cristóbal Montoro[1], Minister of Finance and Public Administrations
Agency executive María Vicenta Abad Carrasco, Director-General
Parent agency Agencia Tributaria
Website
http://www.aeat.es

The Customs Surveillance Service (Spanish: Servicio de Vigilancia Aduanera, SVA) is a Spanish law enforcement agency responsible for the investigation and prosecution of cases involving contraband, illegal drugs, financial evasion and violations, money laundering, surveillance for financial police purposes and the provision of judicial police services.

History

Origins

The origin of the service goes back to the creation of a paramilitary organization (called in Spanish Resguardo) to protect the monopoly of tobacco of the Tabacalera (the oldest tobacco company in the world), a Spanish tobacco monopoly which was established in 1636. The primary duty of the Resguardo was to protect the monopoly that the State exercised over the tobacco, combatting smuggling since its trade was one of the primary sources of funds of the Spanish Royal Treasury between the seventeenth and the 18th centuries.[2]

Recent history

Recent history of the service begins in 1944 with the creation of the Servicio Especial de Vigilancia Marítima y Terrestre de Tabacalera S.A. (Special Service of Maritime and Terrestrial Surveillance from Tabacalera) charged of preventing the tobacco contraband. In 1954 due to the ineffectiveness of the service its duties were assumed by the Spanish Treasury who reorganized the service and created the Servicio Especial de Vigilancia Fiscal (Special Service of Fiscal Surveillance), made up of military and civilian personnel, which assumed the task of fighting the contraband. In 1982 the service was reorganized under the Servicio de Vigilancia Aduanera (Customs Surveillance Service) and its duties were broadened to include the investigation of economic crimes and the fight against illegal drugs, among other roles.[3]

Activities

The most common duties of the SVA are regulated by the Royal Decree 319/1982 and the Organic Law against contraband 12/1995.[4]

Those are the investigation, discovery and prosecution of contraband violations throughout the nation, territorial waters and airspace. The force also has powers conferred by the Spanish internal revenue agency (Agencia Tributaria) regarding economic crimes, including the fight against corruption, fraud investigation in foreign trade and money laundering, among other roles. [5]

The SVA cooperates with international and European organizations such as the European Anti-Fraud Office, Europol or the World Customs Organization.[6]

Organisation

Central Services

The Deputy Directorate of Customs Surveillance (Spanish: Dirección Adjunta de Vigilancia Aduanera, DAVA) is integrated into the Department of Customs and Special Taxes (Spanish: Departamento de Aduanas e Impuestos Especiales) of the Internal Revenue Agency (Spanish: Agencia Tributaria) of the Ministry of Economy and Finance.[7]

The customs headquarters is in Madrid.

Department of Customs and Special Taxes

Territorial Services

Regional Operations Area

Armament and equipment

Air

The aircraft fleet consists of CASA C-212 Aviocar maritime patrol aircraft[8] and MBB Bo 105, Dauphin and BK117 helicopters manufactured by Eurocopter.[9]

Maritime

The maritime component of the Customs Surveillance Service is one of the largest employed by the Spanish Government with approximately 90[10] vessels in service. The maritime units of the service are classed as Spanish Navy Auxiliary vessels (Decree 1002/1961, of maritime surveillance).[11]

Maritime Special Operations Units

The Special Operations Units of the Customs Maritime Service are responsible for tracking drug shipments from foreign points-of-origin and interdicting them in international waters, supported by the investigations of ground staff.

Ground forces

Most of the vehicles used are unmarked while some of them are marked, specially those deployed in airports and seaports or in specific operations. They also are equipped with mobile scanners for non-intrusive inspections. Investigation units have special equipment to accomplish their missions like thermal cameras, interceptions devices, etc.[13]

Small Arms

Spanish Customs Agents are armed with the 9mm Heckler & Koch USP Compact pistols and Heckler & Koch MP5 submachine guns. Also 7.62mm MG3 and .50 caliber M2 machine guns are mounted on vessels.

Gallery

See also

References

  1. ↑ "Cristóbal Montoro, Ministro de Hacienda y Administraciones Públicas" [Cristobal Montoro Minister of Finance and Public Administrations] (PDF) (in Spanish). Spanish Official Gazette. 2011-12-22.
  2. ↑ Carlos E. Corona, José A. Armillas Vicente (1984). La España de las reformas: Hasta el final del reinado de Carlos IV. Ediciones Rialp. pp. 207–209. ISBN 978-84-321-2106-7.
  3. ↑ "History of the Spanish Customs".
  4. ↑ "Organic Law against contraband 12/1995".
  5. ↑ "Royal Decree 319/1982".
  6. ↑ "OLAF Anti-Fraud Communicators Network".
  7. ↑ "Central Services organisation of the Department of Customs and Special Taxes".
  8. ↑ "C-212 aircraft of the SVA".
  9. ↑ "Spanish Customs helicopters".
  10. ↑ "Spanish Customs Equipment".
  11. ↑ "Lista de Buques Auxiliares de la Armada Española - SVA ships". Retrieved 2009-05-14.
  12. ↑ Rush, Neill. "SVA equipment". Retrieved 2009-05-14.
  13. ↑ "Spanish Customs ground forces". Retrieved 2009-05-14.

External links

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