Investigate an enterprise having sign of smuggling

Container imported was full of old air conditioners. Photo: T.H

On 27/3/2018, the People's Procuracy of Ho Chi Minh City issued a document to answer the Saigon port area 1 Customs Branch - Ho Chi Minh City Customs Department on the handling of smuggling case related to Hoang Tuan Phat Import - Export Service Trading Company Limited (No. 219, group 8, Phu Loi village, Phu Loi district, Binh Phuoc province).

According to the findings of the Customs News’s reporter, the smuggling case mentioned above was detected by the Saigon port area 1 Customs Branch in coordination with the Customs Enforcement Team – HCM City Customs Department on 6/2017.

According to Saigon port area 1 Customs Branch, the goods were imported from Japan. The information in the E-manifest showed that imported goods were used machinery, the recipient is Hoang Tuan Phat Import - Export Service Trading Company Limited.

The inspection results showed that there were 271 sets of refrigerators, 26 of them were second-hand, and these belong to the list of prohibited imports goods. The value of the shipment was nearly 1.7 billion VND.

People's Procuracy of Ho Chi Minh City said that although Hoang Tuan Phat Import - Export Service Trading Company Limited has refused to receive the goods, with the given reason of the sender being mistaken, the company did not sign this purchase contract. The company also submitted that they did not do customs procedures for the above goods.

However, the information on the manifest shows the address of the recipient matches the information of Hoang Tuan Phat Import - Export Service Trading Company Limited and the name of the goods was correct matching the result of the physical inspection. The infringing goods are prohibited goods which are banned from import and are of great value. The case showed signs of "smuggling" as stipulated in the Article 188 of the Penal Code.

According to the above, the People's Procuracy of Ho Chi Minh City requested the Saigon port area 1 Customs Branch to transfer the entire case dossier of Hoang Tuan Phat Import - Export Service Trading Company Limited to Ho Chi Minh City police for investigation in accordance with the law.