Lang Son: Launching several solutions to prevent smuggled dirty food

The flash appeared

According to the assessment of Steering Committee 389 of Lang Son province, the situation of transporting smuggled goods at some border gate areas is recently still fragmented. Infringing goods are mainly frozen foods such as chicken feet, buffalo meat, sausages, fish balls, and confectionery smugglers use many methods to hide goods and take advantage of the dark night to transport to distract the control of competent forces.

Statistics showed that, in the first three months of the year, the anti-smuggling forces of Lang Son province prevented and arrested 28 cases of trafficking and transporting smuggled foods, an increase of 12 cases compared to the same period in 2022. Among them were five cases of transporting smuggled livestock and poultry products in large quantities and 23 cases of transporting and trading other food products of unknown origin (all kinds of sausages, fish balls, confectionery).

Typically, on the evening of February 15, the Chi Ma Customs Branch (Lang Son Customs Department) coordinated with the Border Defence force to inspect the car with license plated 30A-47426, which Hoang Van Quoc drove in the area of Gieng village, Tu Mich commune, Loc Binh district due to having suspicious signs. Through inspection, the working group discovered 29 sacks containing 737 kg of pre-processed chicken feet (boneless chicken legs) without documents proving the origin. Currently, Chi Ma Customs Branch has decided to sanction administrative violations and destroy all exhibits of violations.

Most recently, on the night of March 10, 2023, at Lang Xe village, Dong Buc commune, Loc Binh district, the market surveillance force and the Environmental Crime Prevention Police inspected the truck on the way to transport nearly 10 tons of frozen buffalo meat products. Through initial inspection, this shipment did not have documents proving the origin of the goods. Currently, the shipment is held in custody for further investigation and clarification.

The competent force is checking the evidence of nearly 10 tons of buffalo meat of unknown origin.

Those are just two typical cases that competent forces in Lang Son province promptly detected and prevented before this number of food of unknown origin was brought into the domestic market for consumption.

Actively launching several measures

From the cases of prevention and seizure of anti-smuggling forces, the situation of transporting and trading smuggled food and food of unknown origin has complicatedly since the beginning of this year. Since January 8, 2023, when China reopened its border operations, food smugglers have tried every way to transport smuggled food across the border to bring it into the domestic market for consumption.

According to the forecast of the Steering Committee 389 of Lang Son province, in the future, the situation of trafficking and transporting smuggled food will continue to increase because foods such as pig organs, poultry products, confectionery, and spices smuggled from China, are very cheap. Therefore, if it was transported to the domestic market, it would bring high profits.

Facing these developments, following the direction of the leaders of the People's Committee of Lang Son province to actively launch measures to prevent smuggled goods, including smuggled food items, the Steering Committee 389 of Lang Son province has issued a plan to strengthen the prevention of smuggled food.

Talking to reporters, Mr Vu Tuan Binh, Deputy Director of Lang Son Customs Department, said that, to prevent this situation, the Department has directed border-gate customs units and Customs Enforcement Teams to strengthen applying synchronously professional customs control measures, closely inspect and supervise import and export goods; strictly control the trails, key points at risk of smuggling and illegal transport of goods across the border. Furthermore, actively coordinate with competent forces and local authorities to accelerate the application of measures to thoroughly prevent violations and illegal transport of goods, especially food items.

It is known that, at this time, Lang Son Customs is strengthening the screening of imported goods containers to promptly detect the objects which hide smuggled food into imported shipments. At the same time, Lang Son Customs directed border-gate customs branches to strengthen the inspection of warehouses at border-gate areas to prevent smugglers from gathering smuggled food before trying to transport it inland.

According to Colonel Nong Quang Tam, Deputy Commander of Lang Son Border Guard Command, from the beginning of the year, Lang Son Border Guard has directed the Drug and Crime Prevention and Control Division and border posts to strengthen their forces at checkpoints to tighten the control of immigration in the border gate area, along with trails and openings on the border. In particular, the Border Guard has been maintaining 49 posts along the border in their management area. Through patrolling, Border Guard forces have prevented 8 cases of transporting smuggled food items.

In the domestic market, the market surveillance force and the police are also implementing many measures to strengthen inspection on the circulation stage, especially using reconnaissance measures to grasp the situation of the cars showing signs of transporting goods from the border area to the inland area, to prevent timely, conducting an unscheduled inspection of the place of gathering goods and stores operating business of foods in the inland area to detect and handle establishments trading in smuggled food and food of unknown origin.