Strict control of operating smuggled cigarettes will result in limiting smuggling

Smuggled cigarettes were seized by cross-sectoral groups An Giang Police

According to representatives of anti-smuggling units in An Giang, in the domestic market, although smuggled cigarettes were not displayed for sale as publicly and blatantly as before, because of profit, many small business points, grocery stores, bars and karaoke still sell sneakily. This was why smuggling activities of cigarettes continue to develop complicatedly.

In only nine months of 2020, forces of An Giang inspected and discovered 1,035 cases of trading, selling, transporting and storing illegal cigarettes, with a number of exhibits of 820,172 packs; handling administrative violations for 217 cases, with the amount of VND 8.9 billion and 22 cases of criminal prosecution.

On August 26, the Government issued Decree 98/2020/ND-CP stipulating the sanctioning of administrative violations in the trading, production and trading of counterfeit goods, banned goods and protection of consumers’ interests.

This decree stipulated new levels of monetary penalty for deterrence, especially a sanction up to VND 3 million for the act of trading and storing even one pack of smuggled cigarettes. This regulation is considered the basis for the competent forces to handle the long-standing problem.

Colonel Nguyen Tan Phuoc, Deputy Director of An Giang Provincial Public Security, said the above provisions would be an effective tool to handle selling and storing smuggled cigarettes in the domestic market.

Among representatives of domestic tobacco manufacturing enterprises, Nguyen Triet, General Secretary of the Vietnam Tobacco Association, said the penalty rate was up to VND 3 million for the act of trading, transporting and storing even one pack of smuggled cigarettes showed the Government's determination to combat tobacco smuggling, and at the same time warned retailers and consumers not to support smuggled cigarettes.

To effectively combat smuggled cigarettes, the Vietnam Tobacco Association proposed that Steering Committee 389 of An Giang province continue to direct competent forces in the province to strengthen inspection, control and handling strictly acts of trading and transporting smuggled cigarettes, especially retail stores in accordance with Decree 98. Besides, it is necessary to promote communication, dissemination and advocacy to deter and prevent objects easily dragged into the illegal transportation and storage of smuggled cigarettes.

From now until the end of the year, anti-smuggling forces in An Giang have implemented measures to prevent, detect, fight and effectively handle tobacco smuggling activities. In particular, to strengthen the work of cross-sectoral groups of anti-smuggling on borderlines.

An Giang Customs Department said they would regularly review, supplement and adjust plans of coordination on the control of smuggled cigarettes, in association with the inspection and urge compliance of the unit with the directives of the higher authorities. Performing regulations on coordination between Customs and police, Border Defence force, market management and related forces in the fight against smuggling, trade fraud, and illegal transportation of goods across the border and cigarettes in particular in customs management areas.