Binh Phuoc: Seized nearly 120,000 packs of smuggled cigarettes

smuggled cigarettes was temporarily seized at Hoang Dieu Customs Branch. Photo: Nguyen Hue

The situation of illegal transportation of cigarettes across borders still happens in small size, smugglers use vehicles such as cars, carts, and take advantage of hilly terrain, rivers and areas with many crossroads as shortcuts to organize the transportation of smuggled goods and gather at some point across the border in Cambodian territory, pending a favorable opportunity for Vietnam smuggled consumption.Especially, when functional forces appeared for detecting, violators fought fiercely to disperse the goods.

In the first 9 months of 2016, functional forces in the province have confiscated nearly 120,000 packs of smuggled cigarettes. For example, on 20 September 2016, on road DT 741, Thanh Binh Town Centre, Bu Dop District, the Customs Control and Inspection Team interdisciplinary steering committee to coordinate 389 Binh Phuoc province detained a shipment of smuggled cigarettes by car including 5,000 bags of smuggled cigarettes. Currently the case has been transferred to public security organs to investigate for clarification

According to Pham Thi Ngoc, Deputy director of the Department of Industry and Trade, Director of Market Management Sub-department of Binh Phuoc province, the tobacco smuggling situation in the province is a sign of the times and the forecast increase will continue to increase in future due to the regulations on handling of smuggled cigarettes now overlapping, making it difficult for functional forces funcion when processing violations.