Nearly 1.5 quintals of smuggled seahorses and dried fish bubbles were seized by An Giang Customs Department by the end of November 2021. Photo: G.N

Criminal prosecution of 16 cases

In 2021, functional forces gathered officers to both participate in the prevention and control of the Covid-19 pandemic, and actively develop and implement key plans to dismantle smuggling lines and groups, fighting trade fraud and fake goods, while promoting the synergy of the anti-smuggling intersectoral group.

After seven months of deployment, the army has implemented an interdisciplinary plan, including: Police - Border Guard - Military - Customs - Market Management - Southwest Mobile Police Regiment (from April 22, 2021 to November 25, 2021), and achieved outstanding results.

The anti-smuggling force inspected and handled nearly 1,000 violations involving 366 suspects and infringing goods, including: nearly 190,000 packs of foreign cigarettes of all kinds, over 24 tons of sugar, 62 tons of chemicals in the form of stone powder, over 150,000 household items of all kinds, over 93,000 cans, bottles of plant protection drugs, over 1,600 liters of medical alcohol, and many other goods with a total value of about VND92 billion. They temporarily seized means of transporting infringing goods, including 21 cars, 181 motorbikes and 11 motorboats.

In which, the police force inspected and handled 642 cases, with 358 suspects and goods worth over VND86 billion. In particular, the force of the intersectoral teams handled 217 cases, with 113 suspects and goods worth nearly VND16 billion.

The Border Guard Command Force handled 16 cases, with goods worth about VND142 million. The force of the Provincial Market Management Department handled 314 cases, with 314 suspects and goods worth over VND6.1 billion. Customs forces handled 12 cases, with 12 suspects and goods worth about VND51 million.

In which, the units have criminally prosecuted 16 cases, with 22 defendants for the act of "illegally transporting goods across borders", "transporting banned goods", "trading in banned goods", and "manufacturing, trading counterfeit goods".

Strict control in the last months of the year

Facing the Covid-19 pandemic, there are still many complicated developments, especially for the upcoming Lunar New Year in 2022, the demand for goods will increase. Trafficking and transporting banned goods, commercial fraud, production and trading of fake and poor quality goods will rise with more and more sophisticated methods.

Along with that, because the price of goods between the Cambodian border and the Vietnamese side is still quite high, especially foreign cigarettes. Therefore, smugglers always find ways to smuggle goods into the country.

At the conference to review the inter-sectoral plan in the fight against smuggling, commercial fraud and counterfeit goods in An Giang province between the forces of the Police - Border Guard - Military - Customs – market management - Southwest Mobile Police Regiment, held at the end of November 2021, Colonel Dinh Van Doi, Director of An Giang Public Security, suggested that relevant units should continue to focus on strengthening and improving the quality of exchange, coordinating to check information, thereby reaching a consensus in assessing and forecasting the situation and proposing effective countermeasures against crimes related to the plan.

Economic Police force are requested to actively coordinate with inter-sectoral forces to review and list traders, and carriers for smugglers and means of transport by waterway, road, both at inland and border areas to deter, educate, create jobs for these people, and avoid carrying out illegal activities.

In particular, make statistics and list stores and warehouses of domestic enterprises, garages and vehicles that regularly carry smuggled goods to proactively inspect, guide, propagate and do business with clear invoices and documents.

Actively grasp the relevant situation on the border and inland routes, especially any fluctuations in the price of goods on the Cambodian side and in the domestic area that the suspects will take advantage of to carry out smuggling or commercial fraud to propose and advise the Provincial Party Committee, Provincial People's Committee and Steering Committee 389 of An Giang province to develop appropriate programs, plans and solutions.

Anti-smuggling force discovered many cases of people transporting smuggled goods for hire to traders; storing smuggled goods in houses near the border area, and aiding smugglers.

Therefore, the work of education to understand the responsibility of citizens in the fight against smuggling should be regular; mobilizing people not to cover up or aid smugglers so that people can actively support competent forces to detect and eliminate gathering places, transshipment, harboring, consuming banned goods, and smuggled goods.