Tam Phuc company continuously smuggles through Cat Lai port

	Prosecute a case of smuggling 619 kg of ivory via Cai Lat port
	Working off 20 containers of banned meat - bone meal
	Handling many criminal cases of smuggling

Smuggled ivory of Tam Phuc Company . Photo: T.H.

Prohibited goods are imported

At the end of 2015, through the collection of information, the Customs Branch of Saigon port, Zone 1 discovered an import container with suspicious signs, so Customs officers put the container for screening. Through pictures from screening, the container had prohibited goods, so the Customs Branch put the container into the central surveillance. On the manifest file, the consignee was Tam Phuc Company Limited, address: No. 83, Hamlet 2, Thanh Tam Commune, Chon Thanh District, Binh Phuoc Province. This container was conducted Customs declaration at the Customs Branch of Chon Thanh under the Binh Phuoc Customs Department. According to Customs declaration, imported goods were used machinery of various types.

However, on 14^th January 2016, Tam Phuc Company sent a request to return the container mentioned above due to negligence in the delivery of goods, so the company requested shipping companies to export goods to Yokohama. On 1^st February 2016, the Customs Branch of Saigon port, Zone 1 decided to conduct physical inspections of means of transportation and discovered used household electrical appliances and agricultural machinery such as: Air conditioners, air treatment filters, household washing machine, refrigerators, drilling machines, hand tools, gardening machines, water pumps, metal cutting machines and lawn mowers. These goods were on the list of banned imports. The total value of goods was nearly 480 million vnd, of which the value of banned goods was nearly 410 million vnd.

In order to handle the the container as mentioned above, the Customs Branch of Saigon port, Zone 1 investigated and verified a number of details related to the case. Through verification at the Customs Branch of Chon Thanh - the place where Customs declaration of Tam Phuc Company was opened and classified into the Yellow Channel, but it was canceled. Through verification at the shipping company, Customs officers found that after the shipping company sent a notice to Tam Phuc Company, a representative of the company came to the shipping company to receive the delivery order. But after that, the company sent an official dispatch to the shipping company not to open Customs declaration and refused to receive goods.

Through verification at the Planning and Investment Department of Binh Phuoc province, Tam Phuc Company was established on 15^th October 2015 owned by Mr. Nguyen Van Binh (he was also legal representative). However, after 1 year of illegal imports, on 12^th October 2016, the representative of this company carried out procedures to change the business owner and legal representative into Mr. Nguyen Van Nhan, with the title as the Chairman of the Board and the Director of the company. Through the identity verification of two legal representatives of Tam Phuc Company, the police said that both of them were not residents at the registered address on the identity card.

The headquarters of Tam Phuc Company is a kiosk without the name and address.

The company was prosecuted for "smuggling"

Notably, at the end of 2016, after completing procedures to change the owner and legal representative, Tam Phuc Company smuggled ivory through Cat Lai Port and on 6^th January 2017, the Customs Branch of Saigon port, Zone 1 issued Decision No. 01/2017 / QD-HQC1 to prosecute the criminal smuggling incident at Cat Lai port related to this company. The shipment of ivory consisted of 2 containers. The manifest showed the wood was imported from Negeria to Vietnam to the destination port in Binh Duong and the consignee was Tam Phuc Co., Ltd. (Chon Thanh - Binh Phuoc).

Due to the suspicion information related to shipment of ivory, after loading the goods on the early morning of 1^st November 2016, the Customs Control Team under the HCM City Customs Department monitored, then issued a Decision to conduct physical inspections of the shipment. The Customs Control Team coordinated with the Customs Branch of Saigon port, Zone 1 to conduct physical inspections and discovered 446 kg of ivory inside the shipment. Through the initial investigation of the Customs Control Team, the company changed its legal representative in October 2016. At the registered address of the company, Customs officers found no business operating. It was a kiosk without address and the name of the company. Till now, the ivory smuggling of Tam Phuc Company has been transferred by the Customs Department of Ho Chi Minh City to the Police office for investigation and handling.

Many prohibited goods in container backlog at Cat Lai port VCN- From the beginning of March 2017 to date, Customs officers continuously detected and seized 6 containers ...

Regarding the import of prohibited goods at the end of 2015, after the investigation, the Customs Branch of Saigon Port, Zone 1 requested the People's Procuracy of Ho Chi Minh City to prosecute the case. At the beginning of April 2017, the People's Procuracy of Ho Chi Minh City responded that the Tam Phuc Company was prosecuted for criminal case involving in smuggled ivory through Cat Lai port. Then, the Customs Branch of Saigon port, Zone 1 transferred the case dossiers to the Police for investigation.