Dinh Ba Customs prosecute after illegal transport of money through border gate

The money was hidden inside the trunk of motorbike without making customs declaration when entering Vietnam. Photo: Dong Thap Customs

On September 12, Dinh Ba Customs Branch decided to prosecute a criminal case of "illegal transportation of currency across the border". It transferred the case dossier to the Investigation Police Agency of Tan Hong district Police (Dong Thap) to continue investigating the following regulations.

Previously, on August 13, 2022, at the entry gate of the Dinh Ba international border gate inter-sectoral control station, customs and border guard officers discovered a man driving a motorbike with a license plate No.66N1- 332.28 went from Cambodia to Vietnam through Dinh Ba border gate. When he arrived at the checkpoint, he stopped his motorbike and asked the Border Guard force to let him pass through the station to return to Vietnam (this person had previously reported asking for entry into Vietnam at Barrie No. 1 at Dinh Ba bridge slope - about 50m from the inter-sectoral checkpoint).

The man did not declare anything about the means and goods he brought when passing the station. After passing the Border Guard officer, this person continued to get in the car and drove through the inter-sectoral checkpoint. However, the customs officer stopped the vehicle to check because detecting suspicion.

Through a physical inspection, the competent force discovered that the trunk of the motorbike contained many Vietnamese money piles. This person said the amount of money in the trunk was VND330 million. It was brought from Cambodian cock-fighting to Vietnam.

Working with the Customs authority, the man presented his citizen identity card, which was named Trinh Linh Em (was born in 1996, residing in Phu Tho commune, Tam Nong district, Dong Thap province). Due to failing to declare when carrying out procedures through the border gate, the Customs force coordinated with the Border Defence force of Dinh Ba International Border Gate to request Trinh Linh Em to bring the vehicle and exhibits to the headquarters of Dinh Ba Customs Branch to continue to clarify. The Customs authority discovered a total of VND330 million.

After being asked many times to change his testimony, Trinh Linh Em confessed that the above money was brought from home to Cambodia to buy a car, but he could not buy it, so he brought it back when he entered Vietnam. However, he did not make a customs declaration when he exited and entered Vietnam.

However, based on the results of verification and investigation, Dinh Ba Customs Branch determined that Trinh Linh Em transported VND330 million from Cambodia to Vietnam through Dinh Ba international border gate without declaration, showing signs of the crime of illegally transporting currency across the border as prescribed in Article 189 of the Penal Code 2015 (amended and supplemented in 2017). Therefore, Dinh Ba Customs Branch decided to prosecute the criminal case and transfer the case dossier to the Investigation Police Agency of Tan Hong District Police for further investigation under regulations.