Smuggling tricks by air are increasingly sophisticated

	Strictly handle cases of trafficking pigs across border gate to Vietnam
	Preventing and combating smuggling and illegal cross-border transportation of goods faces many difficulties

Drugs hidden in carton boxes are seized by Tan Son Nhat Airport Customs Branch. Photo: H.T

Hiring someone to be business director

According to a report from the Steering Committee 389 of HCM City, the smuggling across Tan Son Nhat International Airport is increasingly complicated. Accordingly, domestic and foreign smugglers have linked and colluded into rings of smuggling, trade fraud and illegal transportation of synthetic drugs, rare and precious wildlife products, medicines and cosmetics and high-value goods.

According to anti-smuggling force of HCM City, due to characteristics of Tan Son Nhat International Airport with many gates, entrance gates, warehouses and large number of people, smugglers have used sophisticated tricks to hide and transport banned goods into Vietnam. In addition, they have abused express delivery companies to transport banned goods. Because these companies are located in separate sites, the volume of transported goods within day is large and the support by the companies’ staff, which cause difficulties for the law enforcement forces to control and supervise.

The smugglers have abused the goods classification 24/7 of the automated system to carry out customs procedures at sensitive times (holidays) to evade the customs control and supervision.

When exported goods are exempted from physical inspection, smugglers may mix and hide goods into declared goods, and use fake addresses to send goods through customs brokers.

Notably, the subjects set up many companies to hire people to name as directors to smuggle. When the goods arrive at Tan Son Nhat Airport, smugglers hire forwarding service providers to carry out the procedures for importing goods. When being detected by the law enforcement agencies, they escape and the hired directors and shippers do not know information about ringleaders.

For exported goods, the subjects send drugs via postal and express delivery services, mixed drugs in consignments as gifts, non-commercial goods that have compartments as machineries, loudspeakers, led lights, foam sheets used to pack electronic equipment…; hide drugs in cosmetic boxes, shampoos, shaving foams, soaps, candies, milk cans, food powders….

About 100 violations are prevented

For imported goods, to conceal the identity if the enforcement authorities detect, the subjects have stated fake recipient’s address or refused to receive goods, causing difficulties for the authorities to investigate and handle violations.

For exported goods, subjects often use social networks to communicate with shipping companies and use technology delivery services, so it is difficult for the enforcement authorities to trace them.

For luggage of passengers on entry and exit, they hide drugs in cartons, book covers, suitcases, or in products such as toothpaste, or swallow drugs … They often hire people for transportation, who are nationalities from Southeast Asian states (Laos, Thais) to get visa-free entry when entering Vietnam.

The Steering Committee 389 of HCM City has made a plan to perform and assign task to members to strengthen the supervision and strictly handle offences of smugglers.

The sophisticated smuggling tricks of the smugglers have been detected by the Customs and other enforcement forces. In the first half of the year, the City’s Steering Committee have handled about 100 violations of transporting banned goods, smuggled goods, and trade fraud across Tan Son Nhat International Airport.

HCM City Customs Department arrested and handled 90 violations (73 violations on smuggled goods, commercial fraud and 17 drug cases), fined over VND820 billion with total infringing goods of about VND23 billion, seized 38 kg of drugs and 4,450 grams of marijuana.

HCM City Police coordinated with relevant forces to arrest 6 cases and 9 smugglers for illegal transportation of goods across border crossings, including 4 criminal cases and 7 offenders.

The Market Surveillance Department of HCM City has arrested and handled one smuggling case, fined VND90 million with total value of infringing goods of over VND392 million, and seized 1,835 kg and 22,097 products of fabric, simili, plastic pipes, garment accessories, metal bars…

Forecast in the context that the Covid-19 pandemic has been controlled, Vietnam fully has reopened and resumed flights, and simplified customs procedures in imports and exports. The smuggling, trade fraud and illegal transportation of high-value goods, especially drugs, precursors by air, express delivery services tend to surge in both nature and quantity in the last months of the year. Therefore, anti-smuggling forces implement the special plans to expedite solutions before, during and after Lunar New Year 2024.