Intensified Combat against Year-end Smuggling, Trade Fraud

 

Before complicated development in smuggling and trade fraud across the country, the Government’s Resolution 41/NQ-CP on intensified steps in the fight against smuggling, commercial fraud and counterfeiting has given a helping hand to Committee 389 to act more actively and drastically.

 

Data from the National Steering Committee 389 showed that smuggling and trade fraud showed signs of growing in sensitive regions in the first 10 months with increasingly sophisticated tricks and increasingly serious violations. In the first 10 months, authorities caught and handled 168,939 cases, of which 1,066 were defined as serious and criminal charges filed.

 

A series of smuggling cases were arrested at overland border gates in northern and central regions. Smugglers carried drugs, fireworks, explosives, violent toys, support tools, foodstuffs, cosmetics, dietary supplements, fowls, poultry products, internal organs of animals, and meat without clear origins. In the southern region and Central Highlands, traffickers smuggled timber and wild animals. In Southwest borders, cigarette and sugar smuggling was rampant.

 

Along the coast from the north to the south, the smuggling of gasoline, coal, timber and cigarettes was also complicated. At international seaports, cosmetics, functional foods and prohibited items such as wild animals or products made from wild animals, used electronics and medical devices were also trafficked. Market watchdogs captured more than 4,000 tonnes of contraband coal in Quang Ninh waters, seized 513,000 litres of illicit diesel oil and 212,076 litres in Kien Giang waters, caught 200,000 packs of contraband cigarettes in Hai Phong and 83,000 packs in Quang Ninh; seized thousands of tonnes of cosmetics, dietary supplements, and prohibited items like used electronic devices, refrigerators, electrical appliances and medical equipment illegally transported into Ho Chi Minh City; apprehended 142 kilograms of rhinoceros horns, 4 tonnes of pangolin scales and about 3.8 tonnes of ivory at Tien Sa Port, Danang City.

 

At international airports and international post offices, authorities discovered many cases of smuggling and trafficking narcotics, weapons, prohibited documents, wildlife products and valuable products imposed high taxes. Some cases were deemed serious as they posed threats to national security and community health such as the illegal transfer of 94 military handguns and 472 bullet rounds by air in Ho Chi Minh City or cocaine trafficking by air Hanoi.

 

In the domestic market, production and illicit trade of counterfeit goods and shoddy goods without clear origin were found in many provinces and cities, thus potentially causing serious impacts on livelihoods and community health, and causing damage to the State, consumers and society. Authorities seized 5 tonnes of illegal cosmetics and over 5,000 tonnes of fake cosmetics in Ho Chi Minh City. Dian-Ya Ceramics Industry Co., Ltd in Dong Nai province was found using fake names to import over 1,000 containers of stone to evade taxes.

 

As a rule, smuggling, trade fraud and counterfeiting tend to rise towards the last months of the year, just before the Lunar New Year. Hence, the National Steering Committee 389 said, in addition to the review of the fight against contraband and counterfeit pharmaceuticals, cosmetics and functional foods to draw and communicate experience, the National Steering Committee will direct and supervise relevant agencies from central to local levels to strictly carry out the Government’s Resolution 41/NQ-CP and the Prime Minister’s Directive 30/CT-TTg on the fight against smuggling in the new situation and implement working plans of the National Steering Committee 389.

 

From now until the end of the year, the committee will deploy a joint working group to inspect and monitor situations and push the implementation of the task of combating smuggling, commercial fraud and counterfeiting; direct and supervise ministries, branches and localities to promote education and strictly make reports; carry out consumer protection programmes; and disseminate the fight against smuggling, trade fraud and counterfeiting on mass media. The committee also cracks down on corrupt officials and commends good ones in the fight against the smuggling, fraud and counterfeiting.