Lang Son province makes a strategic plan to prevent contraband shipments

Customs officers of the Lang Son Customs Department strengthen inspectionsof imported and exported goods across the border. Photo: H.Nu

According to the report of the Steering Board 389 of the Lang Son province, during the first 10 months of 2016, the competent forces of Lang Son inspected and handled 2,694 violation cases, a reduction of 8.43% in comparison with the same period in 2015, of which there were 1,838 cases of the banned goods and smuggled goods; 766 cases of commercial fraud and 90 cases of fake goods. The administrative violation fine was 14,360 million vnd; additional tax collection in arrears and illegal profit of administrative violation was over 10 billion vnd; and the total value of seized goods was 29,773 million vnd. There were 248 cases and 355 perpetrators being prosecuted, an increase of 74.19 % in comparison with the same period in 2015, with the main crime being trading and transporting drugs, fireworks and counterfeit money.

Mr.Nguyen Cong Trương, the Vice chairman of the People’s Committee, the Head of the Steering Board 389 of Lang Son province said that Lang Son province takes drastic measures to prevent trading and transporting of contraband, especially in the areas such as Tan Thanh, Coc Nam, Huu Nghi, etc. In the border areas, the province directed the Border Defense Force and the Customs force to collaborate and inspect closely and establish a checkpoint to stop persons who illegally exit and enter through minor trails and crossings. For other areas where they cannot establish a checkpoint, they need to review each specific location, and set up a barbed-wire fence to prevent entry and exit.

The province also directed the Border Defense Force and the Customs force to coordinate to establish mobile teams patrolling and controlling the route in the border areas to prevent in a timely way acts of transporting smuggled goods to the inland. At the border gate, the Customs force needs to inspect and supervise closely imported and exported goods across the border, detect and treat strictly the persons who take advantage of the mechanism and policy to smuggle and implement acts of trade fraud.

In parallel, the anti-smuggling forces collaborate closely with the local competent authorities to monitor the situation to detect early and destroy smuggled goods gathering points and the smuggling rings.

Especially, they need to control the regularized smuggling of goods which are transported inland. The local public authorities need to further strengthen publicity and persuade the people to not transport contraband across the border and deter people who receive and transport smuggled goods in the local area, said Mr Nguyen Cong Truong.

According to the Steering Board 389 of Lang Son province, the operation area of the smugglers, commercial fraud and fake goods is mainly performed in the minor trail of 386 Hill area, Hang Doi of Tan My Commune, Doi Cao area, Ro Bon of Tan Thanh Commune, Van Lang District; trail No.05, 06, Ba Den Crypta, and at the waterfall of Dong Dang town, Cao Loc Community.

The smuggled goods are mainly items which have high import tax rate, import prohibited goods, conditional imported goods such as: clothing, electronic products, consumer electronics, foods, cosmetics, etc. The banned goods are mainly drugs, counterfeit money and fireworks, etc.

The methods of the smugglers include taking advantage of the rural areas, destroy the barbed wire fence and use iron ladders to create the trail from the border straight to the house of the households near the border. Especially, the perpetrators usually take advantage of the dark, working shifts and using people to monitor and create pressure for the functional forces when they are detected and prevented.

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After transporting the smuggled goods across the border, the perpetrators gather the goods at some the warehouses of Dong Dang town; then some of the items which have counterfeit documents to transport to inland by 16 seat vehicle or small trucks. For some items which can not have papers, the smugglers mix with other goods on the vehicles or use the three wheel motorcycle with logo of war invalids to transport goods with high speed through deserted routes via the residential areas in order to avoid the functional forces.