Discover a “ghost” enterprise importing containers of consumer goods

Smuggled consumer goods were detected inside container

On 27/2, at Cat Lai port, the Customs Enforcement Unit – HCM City Customs Department coordinated with Saigon port area 1 Customs Branch to inspect imported containers and detected smuggled consumer goods.

The above containers were imported to Cat Lai port since 6/2018, the consignee was Cat Loi Saitama Co,. Ltd., (address: 1A, Dong Nai street, Ward 2, Tan Binh District, HCM City). According to customs declaration, the imported goods in the container were used crawler excavators.

A long time after opening customs declaration, the representative of the goods owner had still not come to implement cargo clearance procedure. The Customs Enforcement Unit had already sent three invitations to the enterprise, but they had not received any responses from the company.

Though verification at the business registration address of the company, the Customs Enforcement Unit discovered the company had not operated at the above address, and had not closed their tax code. Also, the director of the company has not lived at the above address.

After conducting a physical inspection, Customs authorities detected lots of consumer goods which were contained at the back of the container including: beer, tissues, diapers, candy and biscuits,… made in Japan.

Currently, the Customs Enforcement Unit is still working on the classifications and amounts of smuggled goods in order to have a grounding for handling in accordance with regulation.

Some photos from the inspection of smuggled consumer goods shipment:

The crawler excavator was camouflaged in the container.

Smuggled goods were hidden in the back of the container.

Inside the packs contained full of consumer goods without customs declaration.

Goods included beer, tissues, diapers,…

.... and candy