Take the initiative in the online supervision to combat smuggling

Thanks to online supervision, on duty the Customs forces "exposed" many containers with prohibited imports. In the photo: the Customs forces inspected the container containing plastic waste at Haiphong Port). Photo: Quang Hung.

According to the General Department of Customs, over past time, on roads the smuggling and illegal cross-border transportation of goods has happened widely in border gates, trails and shortcuts, such as the Lao Cai international border gate (Lao Cai), the Chi Ma border gate (Lang Son), the Long Sap border gate (Dien Bien), the Mong Cai border gate (Quang Ninh), the Nam Can international border gate (Nghe An), the Lao Bao international border gate (Quang Tri), the Moc Bai border gate (Tay Ninh), the Thuong Phuoc border gate (Dong Thap), the Tinh Bien, Vinh Xuong border gate (An Giang)… The smugglers’ trick is to take advantage of the rough terrain of border lines, the many trails, shortcuts, and dried up rivers and streams in the dry season to transport smuggled goods. They hire the people shipping the goods across the borders, and then scatter the goods across the border area by using motorcycles and trucks to transport the smuggled goods into the markets, the stations and warehouses. In some areas, the objects also arrange the people ahead for guard duty to track the operation of functional forces. In the rainy season in the south-western borders, the objects take advantage of canal areas to use motorboats and high-capacity, high speed motor-junks to transport the smuggled goods across the borders…

Not only the road border routes, but also the sea routes are targeted by the smugglers, especially around seaport areas with their vibrant import and export activities. They are the Hai Phong port Area 1, the Dinh Vu port (Hai Phong city); the Tien Sa port (Da Nang city); the Cat Lai Port, Tan Cang (Ho Chi Minh City), the Central coast. It is worth mentioning that the smuggled goods on this route are often the high tariff items, the high value items, the conditional import goods, goods affecting public health such as: petrol, timber, minerals, wildlife and wild plants; waste, scrap, electronic equipment and refrigeration, used household goods; sugar, cigarettes, milk, cosmetics ... The violators are mainly the import enterprises, the agents for shipping lines; the enterprises engaged in bonded warehouses... they declare the incorrect goods' names, codes, origins, quantities, quality and value deliberately, even alter and forge the customs dossiers, vouchers, and modify the manifests...

Recognizing that the situation of smuggling and trade frauds is complicated, with the motto of "active and initiative", the Customs have taken the initiative in controlling the situation, detecting and fighting promptly with new methods, new tricks, destroying successfully many large and complex specialized projects and cases. Removing successfully many groups and smuggling points, for contributing actively to increase revenue for the State budget. In addition to the issuance of dozens of guidelines, the General Department of Customs has issued the Regulation on operation and deployment of online supervision on duty, and also connected the surveillance camera system at the online supervisory office in the border gates to ensure the command of the General Department for monitoring regularly and continuously 24/7. Besides, the Customs Department has attached great importance to the application of information technology, enhanced the use of modern equipment and management techniques in the customs control operation activities to ensure timely the analysis of information and determine the key cases, prevent actively, fight thoroughly with the smuggling activities.

Through the online supervision on duty, the professional units under the General Department of Customs sent 130 faxes to direct the local units to detect and deal with many cases of violation promptly. Contributed to the adjustment of application of professional procedures, and prevented and deterred the objects of smuggling and trade frauds. Specifically, they issued 21 direction documents, warned on the prohibited items, the emerging phenomena such as: Alcohol, cigarettes, minerals, used medical equipment, illegal imported poultry, goods that can be produced in the country, the wild species added to the Cites Convention recently, fertilizers, poor quality pesticides, high-risk containers, import and export of pre-substances...

In the coming time, the Customs forces shall continue to apply information technology thoroughly in the process of commanding by being on duty, online supervision, customs examination and inspections. They focus on training and improving the quality of cadres and civil servants engaged in customs control work on the skills of gathering, analyzing and processing information through the automatic connection database system of management functions in the whole customs sector, and the traditional anti-smuggling skills. At the same time, the Customs takes the initiative in coordinating and exchanging information with the local Customs and the functional forces; organizing the coordination in propaganda, patrolling and controlling, struggling to arrest and handle promptly acts of smuggling and illegal cross-border goods transportation. At the same time, the Vietnam Customs should enhance the international cooperation for gathering, and exchanging information, investigating and supporting verification, to training and best serving the fight against smuggling and illegal transportation of goods across the border.