Dangers from smuggled cigarettes and electronic cigarettes

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120,000 packs of smuggled cigarettes were discovered on trucks in early July 2024

Seizing dozens of violations

Ho Chi Minh City Police are investigating a case of large-scale production and sale of e-cigarette essential oils, with the evidence worth more than VND70 billion.

On June 7, 2024, Ho Chi Minh City Police and other authorities inspected the address 86 Tran Van Danh, Ward 13, as the warehouse of Hapian Company Limited (address 25/17/3 Cuu Long, Ward 2, Tan Binh District, Ho Chi Minh City) is legally represented by Ms. Nguyen Thi Kim Ha, born in 1992, residing in Hiep Thanh Hamlet, Quang Thanh, Chau Duc, Ba Ria-Vung Tau. As a result of the inspection, the authorities temporarily detained 36,606 units of products including nutrition food, essential oils, and e-cigarette devices produced by foreign countries, without invoices, documents, and tools, machinery and equipment used to produce nutrition food.

Continuing to search this company's warehouse at 37/7, C18 Street, Ward 12, Tan Binh District, the working group detained 54,450 units of essential oil products; searched the warehouse at 24 Ba Vi, Ward 4, Tan Binh District, the working group seized 4,141 boxes of 30ml and 100ml essential oils, 1,102 boxes of finished and semi-finished nutrition foods, 367kg of essential oil labels, 1 stamping machine, 1 expiration date stamping machine. The total value of infringing goods is estimated at about VND70 billion.

According to Mr. Nguyen Tien Dat, Deputy Director of the Ho Chi Minh City Market Surveillance Department, in the first six months of 2024, the Ho Chi Minh City Market Surveillance Department has focused on implementing solutions to improve efficiency in market inspection and control; closely monitored business activities in traditional commerce and e-commerce for conditional goods businesses and unlicensed goods, with a focus on handling e- cigarettes and heated cigarettes which are not allowed to circulate in Vietnam. As a result, this unit has inspected and handled nearly 30 cases of e-cigarette violations, confiscating more than 16,000 units of e-cigarette products, accessories and essential oils with a total value of more than US$5.4 billion. The Ho Chi Minh City Market Surveillance Department sanctioned VND 477 million for administrative violations and forced the destruction of all infringing goods.

In particular, in early July 2024, Ho Chi Minh City authorities searched trucks circulating on the Cu Chi overpass, Cu Chi district, Ho Chi Minh City and detained 120,000 packs of smuggled cigarettes.

Many consequences from smuggled cigarettes

Illegal e-cigarettes are not only widely sold online, but are also appearing in more and more stores openly. Currently, the illegal e-cigarette market is not only chaotic in terms of product origin and quality, but also especially chaotic in terms of information. In our country's "black market", sellers have "transformed" new generation cigarettes in general or e-cigarettes in particular into non-toxic cigarettes, even more worryingly, targeting young curious teenager.

Faced with the increasing trend of smuggling, storing, and trading of electronic cigarettes and heated cigarettes, causing harm and affecting public health and social security, on May 13, 2024, the Prime Minister issued Official Dispatch No. 47/CD-TTg on strengthening the management of electronic cigarettes and heated cigarettes. Implementing this telegram, the General Department of Customs has directed local customs departments and the Anti-Smuggling Investigation Department to strengthen professional measures to grasp the situation and strictly manage export and import, temporarily import and re-export, activities to promptly detect and prevent the illegal transportation of electronic cigarettes and heated cigarettes.

Accordingly, local Customs units have proactively coordinated with competent forces to prevent many large-scale e-cigarette case. Typically, on June 12, 2024, Market Surveillance Team No. 4, Quang Ninh Market Surveillance Department, Economic and Position Crime Investigation Police Team, Mong Cai City Police and Customs Enforcement Team, Mong Cai Border Gate Customs Branch detained 5,390 bottles of essential oil used for pod machines (e-cigarettes) of unknown origin.

Previously, on June 6, 2024, from the information and coordination of the Customs Enforcement Team (Hai Phong Customs Department), Market Surveillance Team No. 5, Hung Yen Provincial Market Surveillance Department in coordination with the Market Surveillance Team No. 3 and the Economic Police Department (Hung Yen Provincial Police), Tien Lu District Police searched the place where evidence of administrative violations was hidden in the warehouse of goods in Thien Phien commune, Tien Lu district, Hung Yen province, owned by Mr. Tran Xuan Ha, born in 1980 in Bac Ninh. Accordingly, the authorities discovered 163,410 electronic cigarette equipment products of all kinds and 9,913 kg of electronic cigarette accessories of various brands. All of the above goods have labels and packaging showing information in foreign characters, without additional labels in Vietnamese, showing signs of smuggled goods.