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| Smuggled sugar was gathered in the border area by Dong Thap Customs in coordination with the Police at night. Photo: ĐT |
Smuggled sugar and cigarettes are seized at night
According to Dong Thap Customs Department, since March, the situation of smuggling and illegal transporting of goods across the border of Dong Thap has reduced significantly because the consumption demand for some items of people after the Lunar New Year is back to normal. Competent forces have maintained the coordination in strict control of goods, people and means of transport on exit and entry to implement the plan on fighting against smuggling, trade fraud and counterfeit goods.
Analyzing the causes, Dong Thap Customs Department said although the situation of illegal transport of goods across the border of Dong Thap has reduced due to the price difference between Cambodia and Vietnam, foreign cigarettes and sugar are still smuggled into Vietnam. The competent forces maintain coordination in strictly controlling people, vehicles and goods crossing the border to fight smuggling and other crimes. Smuggled goods mainly include foreign cigarettes, sugar, and alcohol. The locations used for storing contraband along the Cambodian border are still operating, waiting for favorable opportunities to transport illegal goods across the border quickly.
Recently, on March 21, 2023, the So Thuong Customs Operations Team (belonging to Thuong Phuoc Customs Branch, Dong Thap Customs Department) chaired and coordinated with Thuong Thoi Hau A Commune Police, Ba Nguyen Border Guard Station to control the infield road in Binh Hoa Trung Hamlet, Thuong Thoi Hau A Commune, Hong Ngu District, discovered 28 bags of granulated sugar which was labeled CAMBODIA WHITE SUGAR on the packaging, made in Cambodia, was left at the scene. On February 20, the above working group also discovered and seized 1,350 kg of granulated sugar from Cambodia and Thailand. This sugar was transported by smugglers who used motorbikes from the border along the inland roads to avoid the control of competent forces and brought inland for consumption. When detecting the working group was on duty, smugglers left bags of sugar behind and took advantage of the night to escape.
From the beginning of 2023 until now, Dong Thap Customs Department has coordinated to detect and seize over 12 tons of smuggled granulated sugar and over 13,000 packs of smuggled cigarettes. Most of the cases of transporting and gathering smuggled sugar and cigarettes were seized by Customs forces in coordination with competent forces.
Increasing the responsibility of anti-smuggling
Besides actively fighting and preventing cases of illegal transport of goods across the border, anti-smuggling forces under Dong Thap Customs Department have actively coordinated with competent forces to patrol and control the border regularly and discovered many points of gathering smuggled cigarettes and sugar.
For example, at 2 a.m. on March 14, receiving information from the public that there was a group of people transporting smuggled foreign cigarettes from the border to the inland for consumption, the Customs Enforcement Team chaired and coordinated with Market Surveillance No. 3 – Dong Thap Market Surveillance Department and An Lac Ward Police, Hong Ngu City to control the area of An Lac ward. Then they detected and seized four cases of transporting 5,000 packs of smuggled foreign cigarettes.
Next, at 23:30, on March 15, the patrol team of My Ngai commune police (Cao Lanh City, Dong Thap province) discovered a young man showing suspicious signs which were hiding on the trunk of a truck with license plate 64C-093.25 parked on the side of the road, so the patrol team came to check. As a result, the working group discovered that there were nearly 6,000 packs of smuggled foreign cigarettes. Through working, the subject confessed his name was Tran Quoc Viet (born in 1990 and living in Tan Hung commune, Binh Tan district, Vinh Long province). He was hired to transport the above cigarettes to Lai Vung district (Dong Thap) with a salary of VND 1 million.
Assessing the situation of smuggling and illegal transport of goods across the border in the future, it will not increase compared to before, but Dong Thap Customs Department requested forces to coordinate well in communication, patrolling, controlling anti-smuggling, trade fraud, counterfeit goods and illegally transport of goods across borders. At the same time, they will implement the plans and directions of the General Department of Vietnam Customs, Steering Committee 389 of Dong Thap province and Dong Thap Customs Department on anti-smuggling, trade fraud, counterfeit and banned goods; at the same time, concerning more on smuggling drugs, money, gold, foreign currency.
Moreover, leaders of Dong Thap Customs Department directed customs officers assigned to perform the task of customs enforcement to have the right awareness, be positive, enthusiastic, not afraid of difficulties in task performance, absolutely no collusion, hooking for any reason. Leaders of units must assign specific targets to the customs officer to perform and strengthen supervision, monitoring, urging and inspection to ensure task performance.