Dirty food is "flowing" across the border

Smuggled butterfishfoundby Customs Control Team 1. Photo was provided by the Customs forces.

The MongCai border areas (QuangNinh) is the key area of goods smuggling and illegal transportation across the border. Forbidden goodscomefrom the other side of the border by many different paths. Along trails and border crossings, goods aregathered at the river, the wharf, the welfare sector, markets, bus stations, and onmotorcycles, and cars to be brought into Vietnam. There aredozens of contraband goods types, from consumer goods, groceries, to all kinds of components, parts of cars, motorcycles, electric scooters, bicycles, even smuggled stairs. Notably, some items which affect the health of consumers directly and indirectly arealso smuggled cross-border. These included smuggled violent toy commodities, food marinated spices, tons of frozen poultry and seafood.

According to information of the standing agency of the QuangNinh Steering Committee 389, from July until now, the functional forces from Highway 18A (the section from MongCai border gate) across area Km15, to inland discovered dozens of smuggled goods transportation cases. Most of these goods originated from China, without originating invoices and documents, at low price, it isdifficult to control the quality. Among them, tons of foods “camouflaged” by boxes or chilled in sponge vessels, but, often rotten.

Through discussion with this reporter, an official in charge of Customs control at the MongCai city area,said that the smuggling has increased because of domestic demand. Recently, Customs forces detected, and processed a lot of smuggled “dirty” food transportations in large quantities. Not only peopleliving in the MongCai city took part in transporting these items but also there was involvement with people frominland provinces. To avoid the consequences of environmental pollution, the functional forces had to destroy the goodsimmediately after arresting.

For example, form September 7th to September 9th, 2016 the QuangNinhCustoms control force detected 3 cases, seized nearly 3 tons of butterfish, and mullet; 2 tons of illegally imported buffalo meat in the MongCai city. Specifically, in September 12th,2016 in Zone 4, HaiHoa Ward, MongCai city, the mobility control team under Customs Control Team 1 inspected, arrested and made records of administrative violations against Mr Trinh Cong Cuong, born in 1990 (address: 13 Village, HaiXuan commune, MongCai city)for transporting 2 tons (80 parcels) of frozen buffalo meat produced aboard, without valid invoices and documents in the area of Customs operations on a truck No 89C-07201, and seized goods worth anestimated 90 million vnd. MrCuong claimed the above goods were frozen buffalo meat originating from abroad, with enclosed invoices and documents, he accepted to carry from zone 1, Hai Yen Ward to zone 4, HaiHoa Ward, MongCai city, with freight cost of 200,000 vnd. Then, on September 14th, also in MongCai city, Customs Control Team No.1 discovered, and temporarily seized a shipment without an identified owner, included: 1.7 tons of frozen butterfish, and 200 kg of mulletoriginating from China. Customs Control Team No.1 collaborated with the Department of Finance and Planning, and Veterinary authorities in MongCai City to carry out destruction of the entire shipment.

Reports of the QuangNinhSteering Committee 389 also showed that the activities of smuggling, commercial fraud, counterfeiting had been basically controlled but still complicated,smugglershad used any method andtrick to transport illegally goods across the border. Besides, the situation of purchasing, transporting counterfeit goods, intellectual property violation goods, unknown origin goods remained small scale. The violators often divided to transport, and sorted to mix with other goods, or hiding in houses, and warehouses, which made it difficult to detect violations.

In future, the QuangNinhSteering Committee 389 requests functional forces, districts, and cities to concentrate highly to deploy key inspections under special subjects for industry groups, and violations under the direction of the Government, Ministry of Industry and Trade, and National Steering Committee 389.At the same time, establishing inter-agency working teams to inspect the conditions of food security for organizations and individuals manufacturing, trading, processing products in the market of type I; checking yards, central markets, wholesale markets, andwarehouses,also at gathering areas, and transiting areas for smuggled goods, cattle, and poultry.