Long An Province’s anti-smuggling forces have strengthened border patrols, supervision and inspections to prevent and fight smuggling at border areas (Illustrative image. Source: baolongan.vn)Long An (VNS/VNA) - The Mekong Deltaprovince of Long An has made significant achievements in preventing andfighting smuggling and trade fraud at border areas.
In the first six months of the year, 497 casesof smuggling and trade fraud were uncovered, while 1.2 million packages ofsmuggled foreign-made cigarettes, 240 bottles of foreign wine, andmore than 24 tonnes of sugar were seized.
The province fined a number of cases, collectingnearly 5.5 billion VND (238,740 USD) for the State budget, and prosecuted 17cases involved trade and transport of prohibited goods.
The province’s investigation policeoffice has decided to start criminal proceedings against many of the violators.
The My Quy Tay Border Gate Economic Area in DucHue district has long been seen as a transit point for cigarette smuggling fromCambodia into Ho Chi Minh City. Thanks to more frequent inspections, the numberof smuggling cases has fallen.
Lieutenant Colonel Trinh Anh Kiet, thedistrict’s deputy police chief, said that smuggling of cigarettes in thedistrict had been placed under strict supervision.
Several cases involving trade and transport ofbanned goods in large numbers have been strictly punished, acting as adeterrent to repeat offenders, according to Kiet.
In the first months of the year, the district’santi-smuggling police discovered more than 20 cases involving storage andtransport of prohibited goods.
The police said they would prosecute seven ofthe cases and charge a total of eight people.
Senior Lieutenant Colonel Nguyen Ngoc Trai,deputy police chief of Kien Tuong town, said that smuggling and transport of prohibitedgoods at the town’s Binh Hiep International Border Gate had decreased significantly.
He said that authorities had compiled a list ofmasterminds and retailers suspected of involvement in storing and transportingbanned goods and illegal cigarettes.
Since the beginning of this year, the townpolice have discovered 34 cases of cigarette smuggling, with a total of 77,980packages.
Tran Van Can, Chairman of the provincialPeople’s Committee, has directed the province’s anti-smugglingforces to step up patrols and control of smuggling and tradefraud.
Officials, civil servants and soldiers whoengage in smuggling and trade fraud must be punished, he said.
More jobs need to be created for people inborder areas so they will not turn to smuggling, he added.
The province will also raise public awarenessabout laws on smuggling and trade fraud via the media.-VNS/VNA
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