A new laboratory from the National Superintendence of Customs and Tax Administration (SUNAT) was inaugurated 13th December 2018 in Lima (Callao), Peru, with the presence of the Vice-minister of Economy, Mr. Hugo Perea Flores, the Vice-minister of Internal Order, Mr. Esteban Saavedra Mendoza, the National Superintendent of SUNAT, Ms. Claudia Suarez Gutierrez and the Deputy National Superintendent Mr. Rafael Garcia Melgar.
The new Customs Laboratory followed the guidelines and international standards of the WCO’s Customs Laboratory Guide and is one of the most advanced laboratories in the region in terms of equipment and infrastructure, covering an area of more than 3,000 square meters.
The investment of this new project was around 10 million dollars. Twenty four state-of-the art new equipment, such as NMR, X-Ray fluorescence, ICP-MS and Scanning Electron Microscope were added to the ones already in use.
During the inauguration, Mr. Hugo Perea Flores and Ms. Claudia Suarez Gutierrez highlighted the importance of the Customs Laboratory, not only for the correct collection of customs duties and national taxes, but also for drug enforcement and the protection of society and the environment through the detection of potentially dangerous substances at the borders.
Also present at the ceremony, a representative from the WCO's Tariff and Trade Directorate congratulated Peru for the decision to build a new laboratory to accompany the new challenges ahead and emphasized its role in capacity building activities and in the protection of mineral resources in the country.