Many perpetrators smuggling mangoes threaten Customs officers

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Customs officers of the Ha Tien - Kien Giang Customs Branch check imported mangoes. Photo: D.N.

Complex situation

On the late afternoon of 7^th April 2017, the Vinh Xuong Customs Branch (under the An Giang Customs Department) received information about a transportation of smuggled goods across the border, so it coordinated with the Customs Control Team and the Border Guard Team of Tien river to pursue perpetrators. When approaching this group of perpetrators the teams found that they were carrying mango baskets, so the teams tried to stop them but they did not observe the request. At the belt road of Village 5, Vinh Xuong Commune, Tan Chau Town, the teams seized 25 motorbikes carrying smuggled mangoes. At that time, perpetrators and other 40 people screamed, to retrieve the exhibits. Many perpetrators prepared to attack Customs officers but the competent teams forced them to accept the handling of Customs officers for these smuggled mangoes. While taking the exhibits, many perpetrators left their motorbikes and exhibits to escape.

Earlier, in late March 2017, on Highway 91 in Phu Hoa Hamlet, An Phu Commune, Tinh Bien District, An Giang Province, the Market Management Team seized a truck with plate number 66C-060.27 controlled by Mr. Nguyen Nhat Truong, born in 1988, residing in Thanh Binh district, Dong Thap province, transporting more than 12 tons of Cambodian acacia mangoes. At the beginning of March 2017, this team also seized a truck with plate number 64C-316.61 controlled by Mr. Nguyen Thanh Hai, born in 1977 in Tam Binh district, Vinh Long province transporting 10 tons of smuggled acacia mango.

In Kien Giang, after the Lunar New Year, the Ha Tien Customs Branch (under the Kien Giang Customs Department) coordinated with the Customs Control Team, My Duc Commune Police, Ha Tien Town to seized tens of cases of smuggled mangoes across the border, with nearly 70 tons. Typically, Mr. Nguyen Thanh Quan, born in 1982, residing in Kien Giang illegally transported 10 tons of mangoes across the border on a truck with plate number 68C-028.47; Mr. Truong Thanh Loc, who was born in 1993, residing in Tien Giang, illegally transported 3.91 tons of fresh mangoes on a truck with plate number 63C-072.13; Mr. Do Thanh Lam, born in 1978, residing in An Giang, illegally transported 10.16 tons of mangoes on a truck with plate number 63C-085.30; Mr. Nguyen Cong Tan, born in 1990, residing in Ben Tre, illegally transported 6 tons of fresh mangoes on a truck with plate number 63C-067.92. When competent forces discovered, these perpetrators could only have invoice without having import documents and quarantine paper of consignments. The perpetrators said that these smuggled mangoes were collected from Cambodia to illegally transport to Vietnam.

During the process of arrest and seizure, the Ha Tien Customs Branch faced the fierce fight from shippers and owners of the goods. Mango business households in the border area invited people to come to the Customs office to scream and protest to retrieve the goods. However, the Ha Tien Customs Branch coordinated with the police force to stabilize the situation and maintain security in the border area.

Smuggled mangoes were seized at the Vinh Xuong - An Giang Customs Branch. Photo: D.N.

Difficulties from quarantine

Currently, the quarantine of mangoes at the border gate can not be carried out, while the high demand for mangoes in the domestic market has "stimulated" smuggling and illegal transportation of mangoes across the border. According to the Plant Protection Department – under the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development’s Official Dispatch No. 1328 / BTVT-KD of 25^th July 2016 on the results of the meeting on plant quarantine, a list of products such as fresh fruits, plant seeds, grasses and grass seeds shall not be permitted to import into Vietnam without quarantine according to regulations. Thus, Cambodian fresh mangoes are not included in the list above, so the quarantine agency at the border gate can not carry out quarantine procedures for mangoes and Customs officers shall carry out the following import procedures for this kind of mangoes in the form of import, exchange, and purchase of border residents.

According to the An Giang Customs Department, the Kien Giang Customs Department and other border provinces, perpetrators have surreptitiously transported mangoes to the sides of the border gate, so it is very difficult to control them. In fact, Cambodian border residents near the border of Vietnam are expanding mango planting area, increasing production and the demand in exchanging mangoes between Vietnam and Cambodia is still quite high. The local Customs Departments have also proposed to the People's Committee of the provinces and the General Department of Vietnam Customs for comments to the Ministry of Finance to exchange with the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development to put mangoes on the list to be subject to quarantine to import into Vietnam.

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Mango imports on the main roads can not perform due to quarantine regulations, so acacia mangoes have been illegally transported into Vietnam, which has caused the situation of smuggling and illegal transportation of mangoes in at the border to become more complicated.