Preventing theft of transit goods

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Pangolin scales detected by customs authorities in transit shipments. Photo: T.H.

Re-exporting empty containers

According to the Customs Department of Ho Chi Minh City, the type of transit also contains a high risk of illegal prohibition. Taking advantage of the open mechanisms for transit goods and bonded warehouses, when enterprises carry out customs procedures they make false declarations and fail to declare other goods (including banned goods). In the process of transporting transit goods, enterprises may withdraw goods for consumption in Vietnam.

Many cases of stealing transit goods have been detected by customs authorities at the export border gates. Recently, cargo containers worth $36,000 in transit from Cat Lai port to Tay Ninh - Xa Mat border gate, for export to Cambodia, were stolen by the suspects. This shipment belongs to Phat Tai Nguyen Service and Trading Co., Ltd., declaring goods in containers are general goods, 100% new. When carrying out re-export procedures, the Xa Mat border-gate Customs Sub-Department of Tay Ninh Customs Department detected suspicious signs. This unit inspected and detected that two customs seals had been cut. The customs authority opened the above container and found it was empty.

Previously, on 24 July, the Department of Anti-Smuggling Investigation under the General Department of Customs issued a decision to prosecute a criminal case of smuggling related to the case of stealing transit goods of two containers from Cai Mep port border gate to Cambodia related to Minh Tri Viet Trading Investment Services Limited Liability Company (Nguyen Hue street, District 1, HCMC).

Cai Mep port border gate customs sub-department inspected the real goods to determine customs declaration. Then the above goods were handed over to Minh Tri Viet Investment Trading Service Co., Ltd to transport to Binh Phuoc -Hoa Lu international border gate for re-exporting according to regulations.

However, after receiving transit goods to carry out re-export procedures, Hoa Lu International Border Gate Customs Sub-Department - Binh Phuoc Customs Department coordinated with Hoa Lu Border Gate Border Guard Station and Inspection Team Customs inspection of actual goods inspection, detected empty containers.

Besides the stealing of transit goods, according to HCMC Customs Department, there is another method used for transit shipments including conditional imported goods, goods of great value or banned goods. After the shipment leaves the territory of Vietnam, the enterprise will try to bring it back in many different ways such as splitting the shipment to transport through paths, or the enterprise completes the customs declaration, taking advantage of the flow of inspection exemption to import back to Vietnam. Thus, through the above methods, conditional imports, prohibited goods and contraband are smuggled into the country for the purpose of tax evasion, avoiding specialized inspection, creating unfair competition in business imports.

Installation of positioning seal

According to Deputy Director of Ho Chi Minh City Customs Department Nguyen Huu Nghiep, for effective management of transit goods, Ho Chi Minh City Customs Department proposed the Customs sector to coordinate with relevant ministries and branches to soon promulgate regulations on compulsory installation of monitoring equipment (positioning seal) for inland waterway transport vehicles and sharing of information for road and water transport vehicles for general export and import goods; transit goods, temporary import for re-export in particular are subject to customs inspection, supervision and control through the National Single Window Portal to serve the state management of Customs. In the immediate future, Customs sector will coordinate with the Ministry of Public Security and the Ministry of Transport to obtain the journey information of transporting vehicles of transit goods.

Besides, building regulations on transit goods procedures to strengthen sanctions for administrative violations and strict management of violations of transit goods, in case of discovering transit goods are prohibited goods without a permit must be confiscated. In addition, establishing a connected database of related ministries and agencies and applying control measures effectively to find the owners of "transit goods" with warehouses and storage of contraband goods inland, serving the work of investigation, management, prevention and handling of violations. Building software for managing means of transit goods, temporary import for re-export goods to support the management work at customs sub-departments where goods are transported and customs offices where goods are delivered.

For means of transport, it is necessary to apply technical supervision, in the immediate future, share the ‘black box' data of the Ministry of Transport to manage the transport itinerary; strengthening of coordination is carried out closely for transit goods and temporary import for re-export goods in order that goods must be transported on the right route, on time, to prevent goods from being illegally smuggled inland.

For export border gates, the border-gate customs sub-department with goods coordinates with functional units such as Border Guards, Police, Market Management, etc., so that goods can be transported across the border. At the same time, it is also necessary to prevent contraband returning to Vietnam through trails to evade import tax.

Proposing to implement Customs procedure via ASEAN transit system VCN- The Draft Decree stipulating regulation of Customs procedure, inspection, supervision for transit goods via ASEAN Customs ...

Along with that is to strengthen the coordination, exchange and sharing of information for transit goods, temporary import for re-export goods with Cambodia Customs for analysis, statistics, verification of cases and enterprises having signs of violation then arresting and handling of violations.