Binh Phuoc: Smuggling cigarette tend to increase

Hoa Lư Customs officers checked bus entry to Vietnam. Photo: Nguyễn Huế

Only in the peak period of anti-smuggling cigarettes from 30/9/2016 to 30/9/2017, Binh Phuoc Customs Department has presided over and coordinated with the competent forces in the area to arrest over 15,000 packs of illegally imported cigarettes. In particular, Binh Phuoc Customs Department detected and arrested nearly 11,000 packs of smuggled cigarettes of all kinds.

Binh Phuoc Customs Department said that the operation area of smuggling cigarettes are mainly in border areas in the two sides of international border gate such as Hoa Lu, Hoang Dieu border gate and along the border in the territory of the Loc Thanh ward, Loc Hoa ward, Loc Thinh ward under Loc Ninh district; Hung Phuoc and Phuoc Thien wards under Bu Dop District. Smugglers are people that live in border communes of Loc Ninh, Bu Dop, and Cambodian people who frequently trade goods with Vietnamese residents in border markets.

The smugglers take advantage of terrain like trails, forest paths, rubber blocks at the side gates of the border then using motorbikes to transport cigarettes. Some border residents of Vietnam and Cambodia hide cigarettes with small quantities together with goods traded in border areas for domestic consumption.

In addition, some passengers travel from Cambodia, Laos to Vietnam by car through Hoa Lu border gate have signs of illegally transporting cigarettes. In the transport process, smugglers arranged to watch over the road in the schedule very tight, drive the car at high speed so when the competent force stop for seizing, the subject mobilized many people to disarm the cargo and escape.