125 containers of prohibited import seized

According to the Deputy General Director Nguyen Cong Binh, to handle 191 containers of prohibited goods which were detected by Customs authorities at Hiep Phuoc port and Cat Lai Port, in phase 1 (on October 7th), the General Department of Customs issued 25 decisions and seized 50 containers; in phase 2 (on October 19th), the General Department of Customs signed 47 decisions to continue execution, and seized 75 containers. Totally, the General Department of Customs has handled 125 containers, including 50 containers at Hiep Phuoc port and 75 containers at Cat Lai port. The number of goods will be auctioned or confiscated to State revenue.

According to the Anti-Smuggling and Investigation Department - General Department of Customs, in the total of 208 violated containers which were hold in custody at Cat Lai and Hiep Phuoc port, by the end of 2015, 3 companies were allowed to do procedure of receiving 16 containers as brand new products 100%.

By reviewing the remaining 66 of 191 containers, there are 54 containers refused to be received by enterprises, because they do not have signed contracts with foreign partners. While other enterprises have no idea about the remaining containers. After Customs agencies publicize the information to find freight owners in the newspaper, they could not find the owner. Therefore, the Anti-Smuggling and Investigation Department proposed to the General Department of Customs continued to issue treatment decisions towards seizing the remaining 66 containers

Mr. Nguyen Van Tuan, Deputy Director of Anti-Smuggling and Investigation, said: “To handle the the violated containers above, the Anti-Smuggling and Investigation Department and HCMC Customs Department has investigated, verified strictly in accordance with legal procedures. After leaders of the General Department of Customs signed a decision to seize those goods, the relevant units are implementing procedures to conduct the auction of violated goods.

At the meeting, leaders of the Anti-Smuggling and Investigation Department and HCMC Customs Department said, they will quickly make plans in order to implement the decision, sell violated goods to contribute to the State budget as well as strive to complete in 2016.

Previously, HCM Customs Department has made 78 records of administrative violations in the Customs field for 61 shippers for transporting prohibited goods into Vietnam. According to statistics, 61 shippers were sent 191 containers of prohibited import goods into Vietnam through Saigon ports.

A number of above goods were imported into Cat Lai and Hiep Phuoc ports. On the E-Manifest, businesses declared that imported goods were used machinery. However, through inspection, the Customs agency detected that goods were mainly electronics, refrigeration equipment, and appliances which were used, and cosmetics. Totally worth more than 80 billion VND.

After completing physical inspectation of the entire container above, HCMC Customs Department in collaboration with the Anti-Smuggling and Investigation Department was quick to carry out the verification, investigating and collect information that related to the consignee named on the E-Manifest in Vietnam.

After conducting verification of the information, the HCMC Customs Department has set records for administrative violations in the Customs field to the shipper. Then hand over the case to the Anti-Smuggling and Investigation Department for processing.

At the end of the meeting, the Deputy Director General Nguyen Cong Binh directed: “ For the remaining of 66 containers, they need to be checked carefully before making treatment decisions. The Anti-Smuggling and Investigation Department will lead to immediately handle the confiscated goods under 72 decisions of the leaders of General Department of Customs. At first, they need to make plans for sale of those violated goods under treatment decisions as signed by the leaders of the General Department of Customs.