Detecting many violations on declarations and origin through key identification

Violated goods of XIN DONG YA Vietnam Crafts Co., Ltd. Photo: Customs News

Key identification by areas and goods items

According to the Risk Management Department (General Department of Vietnam Customs), in 2021, the unit has worked with local customs departments to strengthen analysis and identification (following Decision 2218/QĐ-TCHQ dated August 26, 2020 of the General Department of Vietnam Customs) in order to prevent, detect and strictly control risky objects and facilitate enterprises. At the same time, the unit also actively guides and handles problems related to key identification at sea routes.

Following the direction of the General Department of Vietnam Customs, the Risk Management Department has issued a document requesting to strengthen risk control for consumer goods.

Along with that, they issued an official letter requesting four customs departments that have large seaports (including HCM City, Hai Phong, Da Nang and Ba Ria-Vung Tau) to strengthen the application of risk control measures such as screening, physical inspection, examination in the absence of the customs declarant for backlogged shipments at the port for more than 30 days and have not yet gone through procedures, showing signs of risk and signs of violation.

Based on file documents, risk documents, and directives of the General Department of Vietnam Customs, the Risk Management Department reviewed data, analyzed information, and focused on identifying key subjects under types, sectors, and industries of risky goods and flexibly applying risk control measures to consignments showing signs of risk and signs of violation transported by sea.

Thereby, the unit provided information on key subjects and warned of risks to professional units to continue handling in accordance with their functions and competence. Accordingly, the unit provided information on 16 key shipments and five high-risk enterprises to the Anti-Smuggling and Investigation Department (General Department of Vietnam Customs), information about three key shipments to Cai Mep Port Customs Branch (Ba Ria-Vung Tau Customs Department).

Notably, providing information on five key consumer goods shipments through scanning images, detecting suspicions and backlogging over 90 days at Hai Phong port for the Anti-Smuggling and Investigation Department to handle.

As a result, Customs discovered a large number of undeclared imported goods, conditional imported goods, and banned goods in four consignments such as cosmetics, food, alcohol, shampoo, and household appliances, new clothes, old clothes, used electronic goods.

At Cai Mep port, Risk Management Department transferred a shipment containing used engines for online surveillance. This shipment has been adjusted twice (from the consignee in Vietnam to the enterprise in Cambodia; then adjusted the consignee in Cambodia to the enterprise in Laos) to legalize the goods in transit as used engines.

Detecting many violations

Also through risk assessment, key identification, Customs forces discovered many cases of origin fraud, false declaration, import of goods that do not meet the conditions; subject to specialized inspection without notification of specialized inspection results.

It is worth mentioning that some enterprises declared that they imported processing materials for export production from China but they actually import finished products labeled "Made in Vietnam".

Specifically, the Risk Management Department has detected seven shipments of goods with no goods labels, incorrect declaration of origin, and counterfeit trademarks.

Typically, from the analysis results of the Risk Management Department, the Customs force discovered the shipment docked at Cat Lai port belonged to XIN DONG YA Vietnam Crafts Co., Ltd.

Goods were declared as raw materials for export from China. However, through physical inspection, all goods were 194,700 eco-friendly bags, 100% new, on the carton labeled the words "Made in Vietnam".

Through handling, the above enterprise admitted the act of making false declarations compared to the actual imported goods and imported goods counterfeiting Vietnamese origin, the total value of infringing goods was VND643 million; monetary penalty was VND105 million and all exhibits were confiscated.

Similarly, the shipment arriving at Hai Phong port of Khanh Thai Ceramic Co., Ltd. was declared as a ceramic vase without the original label, the total value of the infringing goods was VND652 million, and a monetary penalty of VND55 million.

Also through the selection of pre-screening for shipments in transit through Ho Chi Minh City, Risk Management Department and Ho Chi Minh City Customs Department detected 80 infringing containers.

Accordingly, from the information of the Risk Management Department, Ho Chi Minh City Customs force discovered that the transit shipment had many undeclared goods and many packages have the information of consignees in Vietnam.

It included 377 items declared with the wrong quantity; 192 undeclared items (without regulatory permits, without quarantine certificates) such as clothes, bags, electronics, household appliances, audio equipment, etc., are all used and milk powders of all kinds.