The Cao Bang border has still many potential risks of illegal cross-border transportation of goods, Cao Bang Customs Department has planned to fight and promptly seize many violations.

Illegal transportation of Chinese tobacco ingredients seized by Cao Bang
Customs in coordination with the police and other competent units in May.
Photo provided by Cao Bang Customs

Director of Cao Bang Customs Department Hoang Khanh Hoa said before the complex developments of the Covid-19 pandemic and the fact Cao Bang is a province with a long border with China (more than 330 km), following the direction of the Cao Bang Provincial Party Committee and the General Department of Customs, the leaders of Cao Bang Customs Department issued a document to request customs branches to strictly implement pandemic prevention and control work and ensure the customs clearance of goods.

In addition, the unit has strengthened coordination with other authorities in the area to fight against illegal immigration and fight against smuggling, trade fraud and the illegal cross-border transportation of goods.

The head of the Anti-smuggling and Investigation Division (Cao Bang Customs Department) said that since the beginning of 2021, Customs Branches and Customs Enforcement Teams have carried out control tasks and anti-smuggling work according to the plan and directive documents of the General Department of Customs, the National Steering Committee 389, Steering Committee 389 of Cao Bang Province and Cao Bang Customs Department.

Each unit has come up with appropriate plans and measures to fight and prevent smuggling and illegal cross-border transportation of goods and control the management area.

However, recently, illegal transportation of tobacco ingredients from China to mix with domestic goods has shown signs of complexity.

“Due to profits and limited awareness of law enforcement, smugglers always have many new methods and tricks to cope with border authorities, especially when it comes to tobacco materials. In Chongqing district, some smugglers hire many people to illegally transport tobacco materials from China to Vietnam,” said the headof the Anti-Smuggling and Investigation Division.

Tobacco materials, after being illegally brought into Vietnam, will be transported inland by dealers by pickup trucks, and promptly dispersed if detected.

Facing the above situation, the border gate Customs Branches Po Peo, Tra Linh and the Customs Enforcement Team have actively patrolled, grasped the situation and coordinated with the Border Guard and Police forces in the area to prevent and seize illegal transportation cases.

From the beginning of 2021 to the end of May, the Customs agency presided over the arrest of 14 cases with nine offends for illegally carrying tobacco materials from China to Vietnam,handled nearly 15 tonnes of infringing goods. Typically, in May, three cases of illegal transportation of tobacco materials in large quantities were seized by Cao Bang Customs.

On May 9, while patrolling Po Peo border gate area (Chongqing district), the Customs Enforcement Team arrested Hua Van Nguyen who was driving a truck template 29C-569.99 to illegally transport 1,781 kg of tobacco materials from China to Chongqing, Cao Bang.

On May 13, Po Peo Border Gate Customs Branch (Cao Bang Customs Department) worked with Ngoc Con Border Guard Station and Ngoc Con Commune Police to seize a car template 97C-01584 driven by Quach Hong Thang ( Address: group 4, Hoa Chung ward, Cao Bang city). Through inspection, the car contained 2,330 kg of tobacco materials illegally imported from China.

On May 15, the Customs Enforcement Team coordinated with the Po Peo Border Gate Customs Branch to arrest Nong Van Khanh for illegally carrying 1,750 kg of tobacco materials.

According to Cao Bang Customs Department, by the end of May, the department had handled 17 violation cases with the total value of infringing goods estimated at VND330 million, up 54.5% in the number of cases and 66.6% in value of infringing goods year-on-year. The infringing goodswere mainly tobacco materials.