Contraband goods hidden in shipments in transit

	Solving the obstacles in facilitation and ensuring management requirements for goods in transit and transhipped goods
	Seized fake Converse shoes in transit shipment again
	Inadequacies in transhipment and transit of goods will be removed

Air-conditioners smuggled in the batch of transited goods were seized by the Customs Control Team of Ho Chi Minh City (June 2017). Photo: T.H.

According to the Customs control team of the HCM City Customs Department, in recent years, the anti-smuggling forces of the Ho Chi Minh City Customs Department and the competent forces have promoted the fight against smuggling and trade fraud. Therefore, smugglers have turned to the type of border gate transfer to smuggle. Accordingly, perpetrators registered Customs declaration in the customs offices near Ho Chi Minh City such as Binh Phuoc, Dong Nai, Binh Duong, Tay Ninh, but the destination port of the shipment was still HCM City. After that, the goods shall be transferred from the border gate to the Customs office opening the previous declaration for customs clearance.

During the process of Customs procedures, perpetrators tended to declare the imported goods as ordinary goods such as a plastic box, MDF board, which were classified as Green Channel (free of goods inspection) or declared the name of the used machinery, but the fact that the goods were prohibited imports. Perpetrators declared the port of destination in Ho Chi Minh City or port in Vung Tau, if the system classifies the goods in Green Channel, they will bring goods to the warehouse in Ho Chi Minh City for consumption.

Through the information collection and review, the Customs Control Team - the Ho Chi Minh City Customs Department discovered a number of enterprises taking advantage of the type of goods in transit to import prohibited goods and smuggled goods. Recently, the Customs Control Team discovered that the batch of goods in transit to register the Customs declaration at the Customs Branch of Song Than Industrial Zone - Binh Duong Customs Department showed signs of the doubt because the manifest showed the name of the plastic sheet and electronic board, new 100%. Through inspections based on container scanning machine, the goods were detected as used electronic board. Based on this information, the Customs Control Team has sent an official dispatch to the Southern Customs Control Team- the Anti-Smuggling Investigation Department and the Customs Branch of Song Than Industrial Zone to conduct physical inspections. The results showed that the entire shipments were used electronic circuits, which were on the list of goods banned from importation.

At the beginning of June 2017, a container including imported goods from Japan to Vietnam through Cat Lai port under the type of border gate transfer was also found by the Customs authorities filled with prohibited goods. This container was imported by Trong Nhat Import Export Company Limited, declaring goods as plastic baskets. Based on signs of illicit goods, the Customs Branch of Saigon Port Zone 1 in cooperation with the Department of Anti-smuggling and Investigation - under the General Department of Vietnam Customs, the Customs Control Team - the Ho Chi Minh City Customs Department, and border guards of Nha Rong port to conduct physical inspections. Results of inspections of all shipments showed that the goods included electronic products, all used on the list of prohibited imports, including 47 refrigerators, 80 sets of air conditioners, 50 dishwashers, and 70 rice cookers, etc.

In addition to the import of prohibited goods, some perpetrators took advantage of this type to import goods or conducted wrong customs declaration for tax evasion. Typically, on 15th June 2017, the Customs Control Team - under the Ho Chi Minh City Customs Department in collaboration with the Customs Branch of Saigon port, Zone 3, the Bien Hoa Customs Branch - the Dong Nai Customs Department and PC46 – the Police of HCM City jointly seized over 6,300 tons of rolled steel with wrong Customs declaration for tax evasion. The above shipment belonged to 2 Customs declarations issued by Bac Nam Steel Joint Stock Company (Bien Hoa - Dong Nai) in the name of opening customs declaration at the Bien Hoa Customs Branch under the Dong Nai Customs Department. According to the enterprise's Customs declaration, the shipment included non-alloy steel, hot-rolled steel, weighing 6,307,157 tons and the total value of shipment was near US$ 3 million.

Solve problems to facilitate and ensure the management requirements for transit goods, transship goods VCN- Regulations on the customs procedures for transit goods and transship goods are important contents in the draft ...

According to forecasts from now to the end of 2017, the situation of taking advantage of the form of goods transported from border gate for smuggling is still complicated, so the Ho Chi Minh City Customs Department is continuing to expand the plan of fighting. Apart from synthesizing new tricks and frauds to alert Customs units and enterprises, the Ho Chi Minh City Customs Department shall take initiatives in grasping and supplying information and coordinating with the local Customs authorities to detect and prevent tricks of taking advantage of the type of goods transferred to the border gate for smuggling and commercial frauds.