Quang Tri Customs: Drastically fighting seasonal smuggling

Quang Tri customs officials inspected exhibits on May 13.

Quang Tri province has a border with Laos with a length of about 206 km, having rugged terrain, many shortcut roads, trails and open paths opened by the people, with the Se Mon river route of about 7.5 km length from Lao Bao border gate to Tan Long commune. Quang Tri is also the first point of Vietnam on the East-West economic corridor and is near the Golden Triangle (the area between the borders of Laos, Thailand and Myanmar - considered a “drugs industry” of the world), so there is a high risk of smuggling and illegal transportation of goods and drugs across the border.

On the route of Se Bon River, taking advantage of the complex terrain, smugglers used darkness to use motorboats for transporting goods along the riverbank to bring into Vietnam, then use non-motorised vehicles, rickshaws, hire a carrier to deliver goods inland. The main products are foreign cigarettes, foreign beers, sugar and electronics. When the demand of the market increases seasonally, smuggled goods and cases of illegal transport goods across border also occurred seasonally.

In the fight against smuggling of Quang Tri Customs Department over the past time, besides regular combating smuggling and illegally transporting goods across borders, the unit also focused on the fight against smuggling seasonally, achieving many encouraging results.

In 2020, the fight against smuggling of seasonal items, based on market demand, has been concentrated on by Quang Tri Customs Department. Since the beginning of the year, before the complex developments of the Covid-19 pandemic, import - export and entry and exit country through Quang Tri border gates decreased sharply, so smuggling and illegal transport of goods also decreased. However, at border gates in the whole country, the activity of transporting illegally some essential commodities in pandemic prevention due to the adjustment of the Government on commodity policies (for rice and surgical masks).

Facing this situation, Quang Tri Customs Department has issued many directives documents to strengthen inspection, supervision and control, prevention of smuggling and illegal transport of surgical masks and rice across the border.

As a result, in March 2020, at two road border gates of Quang Tri, Lao Bao international border gate and La Lay international border gate, Customs forces detected three cases of illegal transportation of surgical masks across borders. In April 2020, Lao Bao Customs Department detected a case of illegally transporting 57 tonnes of rice with a total value of more than VND 1 billion.

Immediately after the pandemic, trading and illegal transport of smuggled goods increased again. This time also marked the start of the hot season, the demand for consuming air-conditioners, Thai electronics production increased. Within three days from April 13 to April 16, 2020, Quang Tri Customs detected and handled five cases of transporting smuggled goods with a value of more than VND 400 million (including foreign wines, air conditioners, household electronics).

Next, on May 28, the Customs Enforcement Team detected a case of transporting imported goods without legal documents in customs management area, with the exhibits of violations seven sets of air conditioners and 720 boxes of cosmetics, valued at VND 138 million.

It is forecast that in the future, the hot weather will last for a long time and the market demand for some seasonal products will continue to rise, Quang Tri Customs will continue to strengthen the fight against smuggling and illegal transport of goods across borders and within customs operation areas, contributing to ensuring economic security and protecting domestic business.