Prosecute and investigate a smuggling case with signs of erasing traces

	Smuggling in An Giang Province still has not cooled down
	Expose the trick of using forged documents to import scrap plastics of Duc Dat Company
	A passenger on exit hiding nearly US$ 100,000 was detected

Used refrigerators are seized by the HCM City Customs at Cat Lai port. Photo: T.H.

8 forbidden containers are camouflaged as "plastic" baskets

After more than a year of investigation, clarifying the illegal import of 8 containers of prohibited goods, the Customs Branch of Saigon port, Zone 1 prosecuted a "smuggling" case that occurred at Cat Lai port, related to Tri Nguyen Import-Export Trading Service Company Limited (Tri Nguyen Company at 3/4 Phan Van Su, Tan Binh District, Ho Chi Minh City). According to the case records, tricks of smuggling of Tri Nguyen Company are very sophisticated.

On 2 June 2017, the Customs Branch of Saigon Port Zone 1 issued a decision to search and coordinate with the inspection forces to check 2 containers of imported goods declared as plastic baskets belonging to Tri Nguyen Company. As a result, there were no plastic items as declared by the company, all the goods in the containers were used air conditioner, refrigerators, rice cookers, etc.

From the above two prohibited cargo containers, the Customs Branch of Saigon Port Zone 1 and the Customs Control Team under the HCM City Customs Department continued to review and discovered 6 more containers of this enterprise. At Cat Lai port, goods were declared as plastic baskets.

According to the leader of Customs Control Team - Customs Branch of Saigon port Zone 1, these 8 containers imported from Japan to Vietnam were declared as plastic baskets. Through the inspections of these shipments, the Customs Branch of Saigon Port Zone 1 discovered that all goods in 8 containers were prohibited imports, including used air conditioner, washing machines, refrigerators, rice cookers, ovens, laptops in the list of goods prohibited to import under the Government's Decree 187/2013 / ND-CP dated 21 November 2013. The value of infringing goods was more than VND 13.8 billion.

In order to detect the above containers, the Customs Branch of Saigon Port Zone 1 studied the dossiers of goods and discovered that these goods were transferred to many countries before being transported to Vietnam. Specifically, the shipment was transferred from Japan through Shenzhen-China, then to the port in Hong Kong, and to Cat Lai port-Ho Chi Minh City. However, the tricks for smuggling 8 containers have been exposed at Cat Lai port.

Business does not reveal but removes traces

In the process of extending the investigation and verification of the case, the Customs Branch of Saigon Port Zone 1 discovered many extraordinary circumstances in the operation of Tri Nguyen Company.

During the process of Customs clearance, although the representative of the company did not appear, many actions were taken to clear traces related to 8 prohibited containers as mentioned above.

According to the Customs Branch of Saigon Port Zone 1, although the import dossier of the 8 containers mentioned above showed that the recipient was Tri Nguyen Company, representatives of the shipping company and the customs office can not contact this company. In addition, the business registration address is an occupied house without business activities.

Tri Nguyen Company registered in September 2016, and the owner and legal representative is Nguyen Minh Tri, born in 1993, based in Binh Phuoc. However, working with the customs office, Mr. Tri said that he was a hired laborer, and he did not set up any business or heard of Tri Nguyen Company. Accordingly, he lost his ID card and other people picked it up and used it to set up Tri Nguyen Company.

On 12 April 2017, the Tax Branch of Tan Binh District issued a notice informing that the enterprise no longer operated at the address registered with the tax office, but on 29 May 2018, Tri Nguyen Company sent an official letter to Tan Binh District Tax Branch requesting the restoration of tax code to continue operation. On 8 June 2017, the Tax Branch restored the tax code required by the enterprise. But from that time to the time of violation, Tri Nguyen Company did not generate revenues and did not owe taxes.

After the above prohibited goods were discovered at Cat Lai Port, on 10 July 2017, Tri Nguyen Company made the second registration procedure to change owner into Nguyen Viet Hoang. With this information, the leader of Customs Branch of Saigon Port Zone 1 said that the company changed the legal entity and at the same time applied for adjustment of illegal containers through type of transit of goods. The above behavior showed that Tri Nguyen Company deliberately imported prohibited goods. The company took advantage of the loopholes in issuing business registration certificates, as well as the modification of the information on the license without the need of authentication of the licensing agency to change or remove the traces after the investigation.

Petroleum smuggling on the sea is still complicated VCN - Petroleum smuggling is emerging with Vietnamese smugglers connecting with foreigners to deal with price, time ...

After the prosecution of criminal cases, the Customs Branch of Saigon port Zone 1 handed over the case file to the Police Investigation Police of Ho Chi Minh City for further investigation.