Facing risks of smuggling and illegal cross-border transportation of goods, especially before, during and after Lunar New Year 2021, Director of the Anti-Smuggling and Investigation Department under the General Department of Vietnam Customs (GDVC) Nguyen Hung Anh spoke to Customs Newspaper about measures of the Customs sector in the near future.

Director of GDVC’s Anti-Smuggling and Investigation Department Nguyen Hung Anh. 

Could you tell us about outstanding achievements in the anti-smuggling work of the Customs sector over the past time? 

- Through October, the Customs sector has arrested and handled 13,433 customs offences with estimated value of VND 3,339 billion. Customs has criminally prosecuted 32 cases, transferred 95 cases to another authority for prosecution and collected VND 578 billion and 510 million for the State budget.

The outstanding achievement is the Customs force has presided over and coordinated with competent authorities to successfully tackle many major cases related to cross-border drug trafficking.

Specifically, Customs has arrested 190 cases and 130 offenders and seized more than 82 kg and 219 packages of heroin; 16.02 kg of marijuana; 15.7 kg of opium; 23.01 kg and 412,464 synthetic drug tablets; and 646.6 kg of meth.

The successful destruction of many cross-border illegal trafficking and transportation of drugs has affirmed intelligence and accuracy in tackling smuggling cases while showing the smooth, synchronous and close coordination among forces, contributing to combating major transnational drug lines and ensuring domestic security and community safety.

Another outstanding result is that Customs has destroyed the largest cigarette smuggling cases and seized 8,549 packages or 4,274,500 cigarette packs.

In addition, Customs has focused on fighting against the smuggling of medicinal products. Typically, on June 22, the Anti-Smuggling and Investigation Department worked with Da Nang Customs Department to inspect five containers, and detected many goods that were not agricultural products as declared by the enterprise but mostly were herbs with the volume of 103 tonnes.

Facing the complex development of the fraud and forging Vietnamese origin for export to evade trade remedies of importing countries, the GDVC continues to direct units to take measures to combat this situation.

As a leading department, how is performance by the Anti-Smuggling and Investigation Department?

- The Anti-Smuggling and Investigation Department has been proactive and flexible in advising and fighting such as submitting to the GDVC’s leaders to issue a plan on control and combat against smuggling of counterfeit goods and goods infringing intellectual property rights in 2020; arresting and handling smuggling and fake goods; investigating and verifying for export production and processing, and transportation of cigarettes, cigars and alcoholthat have fake trademarks, origin, codes and bar codes and intellectual property infringements for smuggling, tax evasion, and illegal transshipment.

The department has issued documents to direct, warn and instruct local customs departments to perform customs control and prevent the Covid-19 pandemic.

As of November 15, the department handled 417 violations, and the total value of infringing goods was nearly VND 1,428 billion. Of which the department prosecuted 12 criminal cases, considers for prosecution of seven cases, issued 34 decisions to handle administrative violations with the total fine of more than VND 3.65 billion.

Although anti-smuggling results over the past time have been remarkable, in the final months of the year, especially before, during and after the Lunar New Year, the smuggling and cross-border illegal transportation of goods is forecast to be complex. What solutions are performed by the Customs sector to prevent and combat this situation?

- The GDVC is completing and preparing a peak plan to combat smuggling, trade fraud, counterfeit goods and cross-border illegal transportation of goods before, during and after the Lunar New Year 2021. The focus is on directing units to drastically, synchronously and effectively implement many solutions.

Firstly, to strengthen patrol and control to detect, prevent and handle smuggling and cross-border illegal transportation of goods. Focus on closely controlling banned goods, goods affecting security and order, social safety, fake goods, poor quality goods, and essential consumer goods during the Lunar New Year such as: tobacco, alcohol, confectionery, fruit, food, livestock, poultry, and banned goods such as drugs and firecrackers.

Second, strengthen collection and processing of information, proactively develop prevention plans, promptly set up specialised plans, arrest and handle violations.

Third, lead and coordinate with forces such as the Police, Border Guard, Coast Guard, Forest Protection, Market Surveillance to share information, grasp the situation, patrol, control and promptly detect and strictly handle suspects involved in smuggling, trade fraud, producing and trading fake goods, poor quality goods and banned goods.

Fourth, the GDVC continues to perform its role as the Standing Agency of the Steering Committee 389 of the Ministry of Finance, to advise the Ministry of Finance to coordinate with ministries, sectors and competent agencies to strengthen the combat of smuggling, trade fraud, fake goods and the illegal cross-border transportation of goods.