Quang Tri: Smuggled sugar and beer are “in season”

In that period, the white sugar which is produced by Thailand is a popular infringing item seized by the Quang Tri Customs. Photo: Quang Hùng.

According to the Quang Tri Customs Department, recently, the situation of smuggling and illegal transportation of goods across the border and in the area of ​​customs operation is still complicated and challenging, however, it tends to decrease compared to the past. Part of the reason is due to the increase of passengers and means of transport entering and exiting the country, resulting in increased smuggling and illegal transport of goods with more sophisticated tricks. The illegal transport of goods from Laos into Vietnam is still taking place mainly along the Xe Pon River and the trails, openings on the two sides of the Lao Bao international border gate. Taking advantage of the dark and complex terrain, the subjects use motor boat to transport goods along the Xe River; Then they use carts, trailers, and hired people to transport goods with small quotas for bringing goods into Vietnam for consumption.

The Quang Tri Customs Department has two units: the Customs Enforcement Unit and the Anti-Drugs Enforcement Unit, which are assigned the task of combating the smuggling and illegal transport of goods in the area of Lao Bao international border gate and on Route No.9. Each year, these two units discovered, handled and detained infringing goods worth billions.

Talking with Customs News reporter, the head of the Anti-Drug Enforcement Team (Quang Tri Customs Department) Nguyen Van Thuy said that, the hot weather was also the time of smuggling and illegal transport of sugar, beer ... start of "the season". With the situation, a large amount of goods are collected in storage areas that are located in Laos, and when the traders demand, the subjects use boats to transport along the Xe Pon river (Tan Thanh communes, Tan Long and Lao Bao town of Huong Hoa district, Quang Tri province) and wait for the appropriate time to load goods to shore. Each shipment usually has 10 to 15 people. When crossing the shore, these people use motorcycles, carrying 1-2 bags of sugar and quickly disperse. The illegal loading and unloading of goods in this area takes only a few minutes, which is difficult for customs to control.

"Just a stranger going into the border, pulls a vine and shakes the woods" the subjects will run to the other side of the border which causes difficulty for the competent force to combat." Mr. Nguyen Van Thuy said.

According to information given to the Customs News’s reporter, from the beginning of March, Quang Tri customs enforcement forces have detected and arrested 12 cases of violation. In that, 10.8 tons of white sugar (produced by Thailand) and 1,616 bottles / cans of Heineken beer have been seized by customs forces for handling. Notably, most of the merchandise was transported through the trail, the opening, and then the goods in mountainous areas in order to escape the patrol and control of customs forces. Some of the methods and tricks that are always used by the subjects is hiding sugar and beer in a tunnel, the cargo wall on the passenger car, even hiring each passenger to transport from 1-2 bags of white sugar.

Typically, on 8/3 at an area of a road Km 58 + 300 National Road 9, about 300m southwest, Customs Enforcement Unit and Anti-Drugs Enforcement Unit (Quang Tri Customs Department) seized two 2.2 tons of white sugar produced by Thailand.

Earlier, in 2 days (3/3 and 4/3), in Tan Thanh and Tan Long District, Anti-Drugs Enforcement Unit discovered and arrested subjects with 1,400 bottles of French-made Heineken, 250ml / bottle.

Mr. Nguyen Van Thuy added that, on Road No.9 (connecting from Lao Bao international border gate to the inland), the trade and transportation of goods taking place is exciting, in many different ways. Very dynamic, some items of great value such as alcohol, cigarettes ..., the subjects use large motorcycles or cars to transport. The process of pursuing and arresting the offender poses a serious danger to the lives of the competent forces as well as the people involved in the traffic. On the other hand, for items such as white sugar, beer ..., the objects are broken up and torn apart for easy transport, hiding inside ordinary commodities such as charcoal, bananas, even reinforced silos for containing goods inside the means of passenger transport in order to hide smuggled goods. The major violations are acts of purchasing, transporting goods without legal documents; Owner cannot be identified.

According to leaders of Quang Tri Customs Department, in order to prevent cross-border smuggled goods, the units usually launches high-level campaigns to fight against smuggling during this season, especially for sugar, beer and cigarettes. At this point, the customs enforcement force performs an excellent task of coordination, elaborating a concrete plan before implementing it, strictly fulfilling the regulations and paying attention to ensuring the safety of customs officials.