Strengthening the fight against smuggling and trade fraud through international airports since December 1

Training detection dog at training center under Anti-smuggling and Investigation Department (General Department of Vietnam Customs). Photo: Văn Tá

In order to proactively prevent and effectively fight against smuggling, trade fraud and illegal transport of goods through international airports, Permanent Deputy Prime Minister Pham Binh Minh, Director of the National Steering Committee against Smuggling, Trade Fraud and Counterfeit Goods (National Steering Committee 389), issued a Plan to strengthen the fight against smuggling, trade fraud and illegal transport of goods through international airports.

The above plan will be implemented from December 1, 2022 to the end of December 1, 2025.

The purpose of the Plan is to strengthen the inspection, supervision, and coordination of competent forces to ensure timely detection and handling of acts of smuggling, trade fraud, and illegal transport of goods through international airports; perfect mechanisms and policies to facilitate the export and import of goods while ensuring effective prevention of acts of smuggling, trade fraud, and illegal transport of goods through international airports; raise the awareness of law compliance of organizations and individuals involved in the immigration, import and export of goods via international airports.

Closely supervise task performance

The plan will strictly implement the directives of the Government, the Prime Minister, and the National Steering Committee 389 on the fight against smuggling, trade fraud, and illegal transport of goods through international airports; improve professional qualifications for officials and civil servants engaged in the fight against smuggling, trade fraud, and illegal transport of goods through international airports; closely supervise task performance to prevent negative results; ensure that the competent forces are strong.

At the same time, investing in modern equipment, and promoting the application of information technology in the fight against smuggling, trade fraud, and illegal transport of goods through international airports, especially inspecting and supervising exported and imported goods to promptly detect and handle violations.

Effectively prevent and destroy smuggling lines

According to the plan, relevant units will strengthen the work of collecting, analyzing and processing information, firmly grasping key routes, locations, entities and items; develop plans to investigate, verify, fight, effectively prevent and destroy lines of smuggling, trade fraud and illegal transport of goods through international airports, especially drugs, weapons, explosives, rare wildlife, alcohol, cigarettes, cigars, mobile phones, gold, foreign currency, modern medicines, supplementary foods, cosmetics and other high-value goods.

Furthermore, strengthening the dissemination of laws on regimes and policies for exported and imported goods and luggage for passengers on exit or entry; rights and obligations of enterprises operating postal and express delivery services; raise awareness and encourage people to participate in denouncing acts of smuggling, trade fraud, and illegal transport of goods through international airports.

In addition, continuing to review and perfect the legal basis regulating the functions, tasks and authorities of anti-smuggling forces, ensuring clear delineation of rights and responsibilities of each force from the central to the grassroots level in the prevention and combat of smuggling, trade fraud, illegal transport of goods across borders in general and international airports in particular, especially the responsibility of the head in complicated situations; perfecting regulations on state management at international airports as well as imports, exports and immigration activities, ensuring that smugglers do not take advantage of the situation for smuggling and trade fraud, illegally transport goods via international airports.

Strengthening inspection of passengers and baggage

Accordingly, the Ministry of Finance directs the Customs force to perform professional tasks; promote the application of science and technology; chair and closely coordinate with internal and external competent forces in inspecting, controlling and supervising exported and imported goods, luggage of passengers on exit or entry in order to promptly detect, effectively combat and prevent acts of smuggling, trade fraud, and illegal transport of goods through international airports; directs the tax force to closely coordinate with competent forces in exchanging information and documents related to organizations showing signs of violations of the law on tax, electronic invoices, smuggling, trade fraud, illegally transporting goods through international airports upon request.

Moreover, the Ministry of Transport directs the airport authorities, transport and service business units at international airports to closely coordinate with competent forces in supervising and inspecting activities of transporting passengers and luggage of passengers on exit and entry, export and import goods at international airports; promptly notify when there is information about acts of smuggling, trade fraud or illegal transport of goods through the port to the relevant authorities, especially the customs authority, in order to promptly organize the fight and handling in accordance with regulation.

Increasing technology application

The Ministry of Public Security directs relevant units and local police units to coordinate with competent forces to proactively grasp the situation, collect and share information on key routes and areas; organize the fight and establish special projects to prevent, strictly and promptly handle lines of smuggling, trade fraud and illegal transport of goods through international airports; receive and promptly handle denunciations and reports on crimes and cases showing signs of criminal law violation transferred by agencies, organizations and individuals in accordance with the law; closely coordinate with competent forces of other countries which have international flight routes to Vietnam to exchange and share information and organize coordination in detecting, fighting, preventing and handling organizations and individuals who commit acts of smuggling, trade fraud, illegal transport of goods through Vietnam's international airports.

Through the fight against smuggling, trade fraud, and illegal transport of goods through international airports, new methods and tricks used by criminals are discovered. Competent forces have advised the Steering Committees 389 at all levels to develop and adjust plans to achieve effective and appropriate fight; detect loopholes and omissions of policies and laws that are exploited by criminals to operate and advise the Steering Committee 389 at all levels or propose competent authorities to amend and supplement them.

In addition, the Ministry of Industry and Trade directs the market surveillance force to proactively collect and share information, perform professional tasks well, and coordinate with competent forces to strengthen inspection, timely detect and strictly handle acts of smuggling, trade fraud and counterfeit goods; focus on infringing goods transported by international air routes in order to have effective plans and solutions.