Ho Chi Minh City is to step up efforts in inspections to prevent trade fraud and smuggling. (Photo: VNA)Governmentagencies worked closely last year to monitor the situation, verify information,conduct surprise inspections, and handle violations, it said.
Anumber of warehouses were fined for storing goods of unknown origin andcounterfeits and those that infringed intellectual property rights, it added.
Somenew scams have emerged in the city.
Forinstance, companies and individuals using State assets such as land, factoriesand warehouses illegally leased them out, and lessees used them to storeprohibited goods and contraband, and those of unclear origin.
Manypassengers and crew members were caught taking advantage of the relaxed entryand exit policies at the city’s ports and Tan Son Nhat International Airport tosmuggle in addictive substances, wild animals, gold, silver, foreign currencies,watches, phones, and banned and fake goods.
Smugglingand trade fraud have become increasingly sophisticated.
TruongVan Ba, Director of the HCM City Market Surveillance Department, said last year25,538 violations were discovered involving loss of tax revenues of 5.8trillion VND, and charges were filed in 113 cases.
Fightingsmuggling, trade fraud and fake goods has been identified as a key task thisyear and needs to be done regularly to prevent them, he added.
Accordingto the city police, city militia has been told to look out for dubiousactivities and crack down on the trade of prohibited, smuggled and counterfeitgoods.
Drugs,weapons, illegal firecrackers, unsafe and violent toys, and cigarettes are intheir sights.
Thecity border guard, the Southern Border Guard Soldiers' Department of Drug andCrime Prevention, naval squadron No 28, and border forces in Ba Ria-Vung Tauand Tien Giang provinces will look out for possible violations at estuaries,seaports and maritime borders.
Thecity is also calling on businesses and consumers to join hands in the fightagainst smuggling and trade fraud./.
VNA
