Smuggling in the central provinces is forecasted to be complicated

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Lao Bao Customs force coordinated to organize a luggage search containing drugs on January 10, 2023. (Photo provided by Quang Tri Customs).

No hot spots, complicated cases

According to the Standing Office of the National Steering Committee, 389 assessment, in the first 6 months of 2023, smuggling, commercial fraud and counterfeit goods in 9 provinces and cities in the Central region did not raise hot spots, complicated and outstanding cases. However, this activity takes place most of the time, irregularly and tends to increase on land and sea borders in Thanh Hoa, Nghe An, Ha Tinh, Quang Binh, and Quang Tri provinces.

In the first 6 months of 2023, functional forces in the central provinces detected, arrested and handled 10,850 violations, an increase of 3% over the same period in 2022. Handled administrative violations in 9,909 cases (up 4.5% over the same period), of which: illegal trading and transportation of banned goods and smuggled goods 2,134 cases (down by 32%), commercial fraud, fraud tax fraud 8,431 cases (up 15%), counterfeit goods, goods infringing intellectual property rights 285 cases (up 139%); prosecuting criminal cases 941 cases (reduced by 8%), 1,139 subjects (down by 18%); revenue and payment to the state budget are 362,821 billion VND (down 23% over the same period).

Specifically, on the land border of Thanh Hoa, Nghe An, Ha Tinh, Quang Binh, and Quang Tri provinces, subjects often take advantage of the difficult terrain and the relationship between the two sides to trade and transport drugs, firecrackers, foreign cigarettes, forest products, wild animals, etc across the border.

In the waters of provinces and cities, subjects take advantage of the complicated weather and wide seas through fishing activities, legal goods transportation activities, etc, to buy, sell and transport drugs, explosives, cigarettes, wildlife, smuggling, illegal transportation of gasoline, oil, ore, minerals, electronic goods, refrigeration, food, frozen goods, used goods of foreign origin.

In the domestic market, the target, through promotional activities, advertising, introducing products and goods on the e-commerce environment, online sales applications, and social networking sites, is to trade and consume fake, poor-quality goods and goods that infringe intellectual property rights.

The main groups of infringing goods are drugs, firecrackers, explosives, foreign cigarettes, forest products, wild animals, wildlife products, minerals, gasoline, tobacco, electronic cigarettes, electronic goods, refrigeration, fabrics, fashion products, clothing, shoes, children's toys, sugar, alcohol, beer, pharmaceuticals, cosmetics, food, functional foods, fertilizers, pesticides, etc.

Emerging are trading, transporting and storing banned goods, smuggled goods, unknown origin, fake goods, poor quality goods, and goods that do not ensure food hygiene and safety.

Commonly, it is an infringement of intellectual property rights, infringement of rights to trademarks and industrial designs, violation of regulations on legal procedures in business activities, and conditions for conditional business lines.

Acts of tax fraud, tax evasion, tax debt, illegal purchase and sale of invoices; doing business in violation of regulations on prices, failing to list prices of goods and services, listing prices of goods and services in contravention of regulations; illegal mining and transportation of minerals; violate regulations on standards, measurement, quality to smuggle, illegally transport goods, trade frauds and counterfeit goods.

Complex developments are forecasted

It is forecasted that in the last 6 months of 2023, smuggling, commercial fraud and counterfeiting activities on key routes and areas of some central provinces and cities will tend to become more complicated, especially is the end of 2023.

To actively grasp and control the situation, promptly organize the fight, and prevent and effectively handle acts of smuggling, commercial fraud and counterfeit goods in the last 6 months of 2023, localities continue to be consistent and thoroughly and effectively implement the direction of the Government, the Prime Minister and the National Steering Committee 389 on the fight against smuggling, commercial fraud and counterfeit goods.

Focus on capturing, analyzing, evaluating and forecasting the situation, emerging problems, identifying methods and tricks of smuggling, commercial fraud, illegal transportation of goods, the production and business of counterfeit goods, violating intellectual property rights, failing to ensure food safety and hygiene; propose appropriate and effective solutions to fight, prevent and handle; develop a peaking plan to combat smuggling, commercial fraud and counterfeit goods before, during and after the Lunar New Year in 2024.

Receive information on smuggling, commercial fraud and counterfeit goods via the hotline 24/24; proactively coordinate with relevant agencies and units in verifying and handling information via hotlines confidentially, timely and effectively;

Continue to exchange, share and exchange information on the situation, methods and tricks of smuggling, commercial fraud and counterfeit goods; proactively coordinate with forces and localities to come up with solutions to fight, prevent, arrest and handle violations of smuggling, commercial fraud and counterfeit goods.