Dinh Vu Customs seizes laughing gas (N2O) “under the cloak” of sulfur

Cylinders of laughing gas (N2O)

On April 8, a leader of the Dinh Vu Port Customs Branch said that the Criminal Technical Department (Hai Phong City Police Department) has an inspection conclusion, the gas was seized in a container that had signs of violation because it was laughing gas (N2O).

Previously, on March 18, 2020, Air Industries Vietnam Joint Stock Company (located in Ba Dinh district, Hanoi) opened an import declaration for a container of goods at Dinh Vu port Customs Branch.

The goods were declared as SF6 gas (Sulfur hexafluoride), weighing 24 kg/bottle, a total of 150 bottles, brand new 100%.

Detecting suspicious signs, the Customs branch conducted a physical inspection and coordinated with the competent authority to take samples for inspection and the result was finding it to be laughing gas.

The Dinh Vu port Customs Branch is continuing to work with the competent authority to check the quantity of violated goods. Customs News will continue to update information.

Laughing gas is an item that was being strengthened by Customs and competent authorities to supervise and control to prevent violations in the import and illegal use because it is harmful to public health, especially to young people.

At the end of 2019, Dinh Vu Port Customs Branch coordinated with the authorities to detect the case of Thien Phu Van Trading and Import-Export Company Limited (located in Vinh Phuc) involving the import of laughing gas (N2O).

Specifically, when carrying out procedures, the company declared goods as 40-litre steel cylinders used for containing industrial gases (empty without goods), brand new 100%, originating from China, with the quantity of 840 units contained in two containers.

However, through suspicious information, the Customs forces discovered many steel cylinders containing gas (not empty as declared by the enterprise).

As an inspection result both containers had 800 cylinders, including 440 gas cylinders (according to the enterprise's claim, it was N2O gas).

Each cylinder contained 24 kg, the total weight of laughing gas without declaration was more than 10.5 tonnes. The estimated value was more than VND 800 million.

In this case, to escape the eyes of the competent forces and "legalising" for the false declaration (cylinder did not contain gas), the enterprise declared the average weight of the shell was higher than the actual one.