Long An strictly controls anti-smuggling at end of year

Customs officials of Binh Hiep Customs Branch checked imported goods. Photo: T.D

Smuggling of cigarettes is “hot”

According to the Steering Committee of 389 in Long An province, over the past time there has been a situation that some subjects take advantage of the night and stealthily bring goods across the border, then put them on two-wheeled motorcycles and cars to transport to inland and sent to Binh Duong, Dong Nai, Ba Ria - Vung Tau and HCM City for consumption. The main smuggled goods in the province are cigarettes.

In a short time, competent forces seized many smuggled tobacco products with Vietnamese cigarette stamps and labels.

On November 10, in the area of ​​Dong Thanh town, Duc Hue district, Long An Market Management force discovered 350 packs of Craven "A" cigarettes and 50 packages of 555 cigarettes. Both have stamps and tobacco labels counterfeited registered as Vietnamese trademarks. On November 9, at Tra Cu Thuong hamlet, Binh Hoa Bac commune, Duc Hue district, Market Management Team No. 8 (Market Management Department of Long An Province) seized a motorbike transferring 1,000 packs of smuggled cigarettes.

According to the report, in September and October, in the Duc Hue border district, the competent forces discovered and arrested three cases of transporting smuggled cigarettes from the border to inland and seized nearly 13,000 packs of smuggled cigarettes. At Binh Hiep international border gate, on September 27, the Binh Hiep Customs Branch discovered and seized the case of transporting illegally 940 packs of foreign cigarettes.

Complex developments

Apart from tobacco products, from the beginning of the year until now, the transportation and trading drugs of all kind across the Long An border tends to increase and develop complicatedly. The subjects transported drugs in large quantities and frequently change methods, tricks and operation areas.

Nguyen Van Khanh, Deputy Director of Long An Customs Department said that to strictly control the smuggling situation in the management area, the department's leaders have deployed subordinate units to strengthen anti-smuggling on border lines in the ​customs operation area. At the same time, outside the operation area, the unit has coordinated with local competent forces to set up control posts at a number of key routes and areas.

It is forecasted that in the final months of the year, this was the time when organisations and individuals focus on production, trading and stocking for consumer needs as well as prepare sources of goods for the Lunar New Year 2021. Therefore, anti-smuggling, trade fraud, production and trading of counterfeit goods, poor quality goods, violations of food safety are forecast to be complicated.

Facing this situation, Long An Customs Department has issued a plan to implement the peak period of the fight against smuggling, trade fraud, counterfeit goods, and the illegal transport of goods across border before, during and after the Lunar New Year 2021. The leaders of Long An Customs Department instructed the Customs Enforcement Team, the border-gate Customs Branches to strengthen the information collection, grasp the situation in the area, strengthen patrol and tight control of border areas to prevent smuggling in the ​​customs operation area. Besides that, coordinate with local authorities like police, border guards, market management to exchange information, grasp the situation of the area, organisations and individuals engaged in smuggling activities across the border, especially in the areas of trails, opening paths and border gates to take effective measures for fighting.