Warning on risk of smuggling Red Bull energy drink via Cau Treo border gate

Inter-sector control gate at Cau Treo international border gate economic zone. Photo: H.Nụ

According to Customs News, before a number of signs of violation relating to importing Red Bull, leaders of the General Department of Vietnam Customs directed professional units to secretly conduct reconnaissance and supervise import activites at Cau Treo border gate.

The working group of General Department of Vietnam Customs worked with Cau Treo Customs Branch (Ha Tinh Customs Department) to stop taking goods to supervision area to conduct physical inspection for tractor with license plated 37C...; trailer 37R... of Company A, as the shipment on those vehicles showed sign of violations when this vehicle was taken out from the customs supervision area.

When the working group stopped vehicles at the supervision area, the driver was asked to present dossiers and documents relating to the shipment but he failed to do so.

By the time the working group invited the driver to come to work at the headquarters of the Cau Treo Customs Branch, the driver claimed he was given a two-page customs declaration by a person named H of company A at the Sub-Department. Besides that, there were no other documents such as invoices or C/O to present to the working group.

According to the working group, in the process of transporting the shipment from the unloading point of Kham Muon (Laos) to Cau Treo border gate (Vietnam), the driver did not have any documents related to the shipment. On the other hand, the fact the individual named H takes advantage of the time since the working group stopped the truck to work with the Customs branch that had given customs declaration previously registered to the driver to legalise the shipment.

In the process of secretly monitoring the warehouse at Cau Treo economic zone, the working group of the General Department of Vietnam Customs discovered tractors of with license plated 37C…; trailer 37R... as mentioned above to stop in the warehouse area for loading and unloading Red Bull Energy Drinks to other vans for transporting inland. Previously, this vehicle had transited through the border gate many times.

With the above information and documents, the working group of the General Department of Vietnam Customs initially identified suspect signs of the enterprise turning around the declaration, using a registered declaration fo transporting goods many times which was Red Bull energy drinks imported into the domestic market without declaring and conduct smuggling.

The case is being investigated, verified and clarified by the working group of the General Department of Vietnam Customs for strict handling.