Smuggling of granulated sugar and cigarettes take place complicately in targeting routes and areas

	Tricks of smuggling 20 Iphones 15 Promax across Da Nang Airport discovered
	Noi Bai Customs facilitates the prevention of smuggling
	Ho Chi Minh City Customs deploys anti-smuggling peak at the end of the year

Kien Giang Customs inspects smuggled cigarettes. Photo: CTV

Smuggling tricks is increasingly sophisticated

At the conference on anti-smuggling, trade fraud, and counterfeit goods for cigarettes and granulated sugar on October 18 at Kien Giang province, the National Steering 389 said that the smuggling, trade fraud, illegal transportation, trafficking and storage of cigarettes and sugar have taken place widely in targeting routes, cities, and provinces. This situation has caused revenue loss and difficulties in the production of granulated sugar, affecting the market, security social order, and safety.

Smuggled products are mainly cigarettes originating from Thailand, Cambodia, and Laos; tobacco leaves originating from China; electronic cigarettes, heated cigarettes, and cigars originating from the EU and America. The violated sugar is mainly granulated sugar originating from Thailand. Hot spots for smuggling and illegal transportation of cigarettes and sugar have been recorded in many provinces and cities such as Nghe An, Quang Tri, Da Nang, Binh Thuan, Binh Phuoc, Tay Ninh, Long An, Dong Thap, An Giang, Ho Chi Minh City, Tien Giang, Vinh Long, Can Tho...

Colonel Nguyen Ngoc Son, Department of Drug and Crime Control, Border Guard Command, said that at the Southwest border, border residents have abused the exchange of goods to illegally transport cigarettes and sugar by motorbike on the road and by boat on the river. This situation may be more complicated on holidays, Tet, or high price differences. Smugglers often transport smuggled goods and fake goods across border gates when the competent forces transfer working shifts. In many areas, the methods and tricks of smuggling and trade fraud of subjects are increasingly sophisticated, causing many difficulties for forces in combating violence.

Notably, this situation is still hot on Kien Giang road border. Vice Chairman of Kien Giang Provincial People's Committee Le Quoc Anh said that along with the recovery and socio-economic development of the province, the smuggling, trade fraud, and fake goods in Kien Giang province, especially the illegal transportation of goods across border gates still poses many unpredictable risks.

The Provincial Party Committee, Provincial People's Committee, and Steering Committee 389 of Kien Giang province have implemented solutions to combat cigarette and sugar smuggling with remarkable results. In nine months of 2023, the forces handled 998 smuggling cases and prosecuted 36 cases with 16 people.

Facing difficulties in handling violations

According to the competent forces, although they have drastically prevented smuggling, the smuggling, and trade fraud in tobacco and sugar products is still complicated. Smugglers have colluded to establish smuggling rings with sophisticated tricks, causing difficulties in handling violations.

Mr. Ha Quang Hoa, Vice Chairman of the Vietnam Tobacco Association, voiced concern that the fake cigarettes transported from Cambodia to Vietnam for consumption will hit hard the business production of domestic enterprises and affect consumer health and loss tax revenue. Although there is no legal framework for management, new-generation tobacco products such as e-cigarettes are still illegally shipped to Vietnam, widely sold, and tend to increase rapidly.

Regarding sugar products, Mr. Tran Vinh Chung, General Secretary of the Vietnam Sugar Association, said that smugglers have abused some legal loopholes to commit trade fraud due to inconsistency in handling methods for confiscated smuggled sugar. Recently smuggled sugar is packaged as made in Thailand but has no documents proving origin.

However, the handling method for confiscated smuggled sugar is inconsistent among localities. Some localities organize destruction, some localities implement auctions to supplement public funds and legalize the smuggled sugar to trade in the market. In addition, the method of administrative sanction for trading sugar made in Thailand without origin is not enough drastic, so it does not completely prevent violations.

Responding to this situation, Deputy Head of the Standing Office of the National Steering Committee 389 Do Hong Trung said that in order to improve the effectiveness of combating smuggling, trade fraud, and counterfeit goods for tobacco and granulated sugar products in the near future, ministries, sectors, and localities need to strictly follow the provisions of law and directive documents of the Government, especially directive documents on anti-smuggling, trade fraud and counterfeit tobacco products and granulated sugar. Actively monitor the situation, identify methods, and tricks of suspects, targeting rings and areas of smuggling, trade fraud, and counterfeit goods to take measures for prevention.

Tobacco and granulated sugar associations and companies need to strengthen dissemination, and request their partners and distribution systems not to assist smugglers in trafficking and smuggled products of unknown origin.

“Along with that, associations and businesses coordinate with local government agencies to exchange and share information related to smuggling, trade fraud, and illegal transportation of these products,” Trung said.