Lang Son Customs: Strictly control smuggling during Tet holiday

Tan Thanh Customs seized a shipment of thermos bottle counterfeited origin of Thailand. Photo: H.Nụ

According to Lang Son Customs Department, the current situation of importing and exporting goods through border gates, especially Huu Nghi international border gate, still has many risks, as some businesses take advantage of the e-customs system to make incorrect declarations of goods names, quantity, categories, HS codes of goods, origin of goods for smuggling, trade fraud and illegal transport of goods across border for gaining profit.

Meanwhile, in months near Lunar New Year, the situation of smuggling and illegal transport of small goods across the border reoccurred. The smugglers take advantage of night to hire people to carry and illegally transport goods across the border along the trails and shortcuts in and out of controlled areas. Some subjects take advantage of express delivery services and e-commerce to trade, leading to an increase of smuggled goods in the domestic market.

According to Deputy Director of Lang Son Customs Department Vy Cong Tuong, recently, the unit has discovered and handled violations of a number of businesses taking advantage of open policies in electronic customs clearance for import and export goods in order to smuggle and commit trade fraud, fraud of origin, categories, HS code and IPR.

Typically, recently, on December 8, 2020, the market management force and Lang Son Police discovered a mail truck with the license plate No. 20B-188.20 carrying thousands of smuggled products through Lang Son.

The representative of Lang Son Customs Department added that, besides taking advantage of the open policy in electronic customs clearance for import and export goods, smugglers still mainly take advantage of the night to hire people carrying goods through the trails, opening path near the border gate. The main items to be transported were clothes, groceries, shoes, sandals and food of unknown origin. In particular, some enterprises, goods owners operating import and export activities were not aware of regulations of law on trade protection, rules of origin, labeling of goods or protection of IPRs.

Through collection of information, it showed that the situation of trading and transporting smuggled goods, banned goods and counterfeit goods that were not ensuring the quality of food hygiene and firecrackers of all kinds would tend to be complex at the end of the year. Besides that, in the final months of the year, the volume of imported and exported goods increased and goods illegally transported across the border were complicated, focusing on consumer goods. Trade fraud activities still took place under the forms of incorrect declaration of product name, quantity, tax rate, product code, origin, year of manufacture of machinery and equipment and the management policies of ministries and branches to commit trade fraud. In particular, some subjects took advantage of the form of fraudulent declaration for illegal transport of goods counterfeited origin as "Made in Vietnam" and banned goods such as drugs, firecrackers and livestock and poultry products, a representative of Lang Son Customs Department said.

To control fraud of origin, Lang Son Customs has deployed 100% scanning of shipments through container scanning machine. Photo: H.Nụ

Before a series of cases arose recently as well as the increasing number of products related to IPRs, Lang Son Customs had to direct border-gate customs branches to deploy drastic measures to prevent, detect and handle.

Accordingly, Lang Son Customs told units to strengthen inspection and detect signs from the process of receiving procedures for firms that regularly carry out import procedures of household and garment products. Focusing on items with high risk, IPRs and high risk enterprises, and timely updating information on professional information systems.

The border gate units implemented effective customs control measures, investigated and grasped the situation of subjects, methods and tricks of smuggling and illegal transport of goods across border. Proactively and actively collect information, patrol, control, prevent, seize and promptly handle violations in border gate areas, opening paths, place of gathering goods.

At the same time, coordinating with local forces to identify key products and firms with signs of high risk, fraudulent of origin, labeling of goods, goods showing signs of IPRs, illegal transshipment such as newly operating enterprises, FDI enterprises often import goods originating from countries subject to trade remedies, export goods to major markets; the enterprise has been handled for violations of incorrect declaration of quantity, name of goods, HS code number, value and origin of imported and exported goods.