Determine to prevent the forming of smuggling spots in customs operation area

	Hundreds of smuggled speakers detected in transit shipment
	Drugs are still a large scale problem
	Customs modernization to enhance the effectiveness of anti-smuggling

This result not only contributes to maintain economic security and the social safety, but also to prevent revenue loss of the State budget, also ensuring that there will be no smuggling spots in the management area of customs force.

According to the Permanent Office of the 389 National Steering Committee, recently, smuggling and illegal transportation activities of goods across road borders have been focusing on groups of essential items such as decorations, ready-made clothes, electronics, wine, beer, cigarettes, fruits, agricultural products, and all sorts of food.

Notably, trafficking and illegal transportation of prohibited goods, especially drugs, fireworks, explosives and dangerous or violent toys has increased in some areas of the Northern border provinces and North of the Central area, for example, the border areas of Cao Bang, Lao Cai, Lang Son, Dien Bien, Ha Tinh, and Quang Tri.

Besides, the illegal transporting of foreign exotic wine, cigarettes and sugar potentially remains a problem in border areas of provinces in the Central and Southwest region, including Quang Tri, Tay Ninh, Long an, Dong Thap, An Giang, and Ho Chi Minh city.

Moreover, in the border areas of Quang Ninh, Lang Son, Lao Cai, Thanh Hoa, Nghe An, Ha Tinh the illegal transportation of unqualifed goods and fresh food such as poultry and poultry products is still going on potentially adversely affecting people’s health.

In fact, the majority of smuggled goods are surreptitiously transported across borders through small paths, trails, canals, and border rivers; smugglers rent transport and convey the goods anyway they can.

More sophisticated perpetrators have converted motorcycles; reinforced walls and made secret cargo holds in cargo or passenger transports to camouflage, conceal and transport smuggled goods across the border.

After being transported inland, goods will are mixed with passengers’ luggage and transshipped from North to South. Some are even linked with collecting border residents’ goods businesses, with the unauthorized use of invoices and documents to legitimize the movement of illegal goods.

In the first 7 months of 2016, the Customs General Department has directed the Customs control forces to perceive the local situation in key areas; while developing strategies and plans to battle smuggling.

By application of synchronous operation measures, Customs forces have established and specialized in court cases, arrested and successfully handled many complex cases, ensuring political security, order and social safety, while reducing losses to the State budget and protecting people's health and the environment.

The above results show the determination of the General Department of Customs in implementing the direction of the Government and the Ministry of Finance in this work, which does not allow "restricted areas" in smuggling activities to exist; also strictly managing instigators and leaders in the prevention of large smuggling cases in the Customs area of ​​operation.

To achieve the above result, the General Department of Customs has issued 20 written operational warnings, focusing on methods, new tricks, and key issues. Typically, the deployment of Plan No.227 for strengthening the anti smuggling activities in HCMC and neighboring provinces such as Ba Ria - Vung Tau, Binh Duong, Dong Nai, Long An, An Giang and Tay Ninh.

Implementing this plan, customs forces roadblocked and checked containers that are overdue of customs procedures. The result, 300 containers containing more than 7,000 tons of illegal goods were uncovered by Customs forces.

Customs forces have also conducted prosecutions of two criminal cases and held investigations, gathered evidence, strengthening further prosecution of three cases. Also, implementing Directive. 30/CT-TTg of the 389 National Steering Committee on Strengthening the anti-smuggling of cigarettes, from 15/9/2015 to 30/3/2016, Customs forces discovered and seized 11 cases of violation; 107,718 packets of cigarettes and 54.5 tons of tobacco materials were seized, and two cases were prosecuted.

To the end of July 2016, the Customs control force presided and coordinated to detect and arrest 9,505 violations; goods worth an estimated 314 billion VND. Through processing, Customs forces collected and remitted to the State budget nearly 80 billion VND, prosecuted 23 cases and transferred to other agencies to prosecute 42 cases.

However, there are still many difficulties and problems in the course of their duties. Under the current regulations, the competence of the Customs force is not commensurate with the tasks assigned and functions; there are no sanctions for road keepers, who are regularly monitoring the anti-smuggling force (with high quantity, always impeding and making it difficult for inspection and control of the anti-smuggling force).

Also, most of fishing boats and inland cargo ships are not yet mounted with GPS navigation devices, therefore it is difficult to control and monitor cargo ships at sea to detect and handle criminal activity.

The General Department of Customs shall propose more authority for Customs authorities in investigating and prosecuting a number of offenses, such as tax evasion, crimes related to intellectual property and crimes related to drugs...