HCM City Customs: Enhance the effectiveness of anti-smuggling from risk management

HCM City Customs Department is focusing on improving the efficiency of risk management and inspecting goods through container scanning machines.

Professional activities at Customs Enforcement Team of Sai Gon port area 1 Customs Branch. Photo: T.H

Detecting hundreds of violations

According to HCM City Customs Department, in the first months of 2022, import and export goods through HCM City port border gates have recovered, with a growth rate of more than 14%.

Besides facilitating trade and supporting businesses, HCM City Customs Department has strengthened solutions to strictly control import and export areas and goods, thereby detecting hundreds of cases of customs law violations.

Through the detection of violations, HCM City Customs Department said that, in addition to the tricks of buying and selling, changing names and changing the manifest many times, HCM City Customs Department also discovered cases of importing banned goods and smuggled goods through the analysis of information on risk management, pre-screening of imported and exported goods.

At the same time, to strictly control seaport and airport border gates, HCM City Customs Department has proactively taken many solutions to adapt to the actual situation; directing competent forces to strengthen patrol and control work on river routes, seaports and airports; collecting information on goods under the type of processing and investment, thereby detecting many violations, in which there are cases that have a very large value of infringing goods.

For example, the importation of nearly 45kg of rare fish bladder which was hidden in a shipment of frozen fish transported from the US to HCM City was seized in early March 2022. This is a prohibited shipment because the item is on the CITES list, with a market value of tens of billions of VND. There is still a shipment of rare fish bladder smuggled with similar tricks, which is also being investigated and clarified by the Tan Son Nhat International Airport Customs Branch in coordination with relevant units.

Besides the violations in the import of goods, in the first months of the year, HCM City Customs Department also handled many cases of illegal export and import of narcotics. The units detected and prevented 29 cases, an increase of 16% over the same period in 2021; seizing a total of over 46kg of drugs of all kinds.

Synchronously deploying professional measures

In addition to implementing anti-smuggling plans, HCM City Customs Department has developed and implemented a plan of information collection and process on risk management in 2022. The unit has achieved some positive results. In the first quarter, the units conducted scans of 4,098 cargo containers, detected 185 containers showing suspicious signs, and transferred information to the unit in charge of physical inspections.

To improve the effectiveness of anti-smuggling and trade fraud prevention, at the recent briefing on tasks for the second quarter of 2022 of HCM City Customs Department, the Director of HCM City Customs Department Dinh Ngoc Thang requested units to synchronously deploy professional customs measures, strengthen inspection and strict control at key routes, locations, and products, focusing on banned and high valued goods, high tax rate, goods affecting security and order, social safety, counterfeit goods, fraudulent Vietnamese origin, goods infringing on IPR. Especially in the current pandemic period, the unit should proactively detect and promptly handle cases of taking advantage of the pandemic to smuggle medicines, medical equipment and medical-biological products.

Moreover, concentrating on strict inspection and supervision of consignments that are transhipped, temporary import and re-export and transit, especially consumer goods, groceries, and goods at risk of smuggling; advising the leaders of the Department to develop solutions to overcome limitations and loopholes, improve the customs control and supervision for goods transported independently, temporarily imported and re-export, especially goods in transit and transshipment.

At the same time, focusing on combating the phenomenon of forging documents for customs procedures; fake documents to bring goods out of the customs supervision area. Promptly preventing goods from the border crossing, porting or transiting without permits; and incorrect declarations.

Furthermore, improving the quality and efficiency of key analysis at all stages of the business, effectively implementing risk control plans; develop risk profiles and key enterprise profiles, with a focus on high-risk subjects, key routes and goods.

At the same time, the unit should apply the analytical information from risk management in the use of the system of scanners, cameras, and electronic seals in order to improve efficiency.

Exchanging and connecting inspection and scanning results with the data processing system during the process of customs procedures. Strengthening control through the information database, analyzing risks, promptly transferring to online duty division for conducting online supervision for suspicious signs; identifying the key points in the selection of goods inspection by container scanning machines, especially goods in transit, temporary import and re-export, commercial goods.

It must ensure that the containers selected for screening must be scanned. The Duty Division of the Department will inspect and supervise the screening of shipments subject to the list of key scanning.