HCMC Customs officers are checking imported goods. (Photo: SGGP) Statistics reveal that in the first half of 2022, there were nearly 54,200 cases of law breaking related to smuggling, trade fraud, and counterfeit goods (a drop of 25 percent compared to this time last year). Functional agencies retrieved VND3,728 billion (US$159 million). Deputy Director of the Police Department for Corruption, Smuggling and Economic Crimes Vu Nhu Ha stated that smugglers now use legal entities for their crimes, especially with goods whose prices are fluctuating a great deal like fuel. Smuggling activities usually go along with money laundering, money transfers in large amounts across borders. The act of appropriating tax refunds has been detected lately, with the quantity coming to VND500 billion ($21.4 million). There has been a rise in smuggling, trade fraud, and counterfeit goods for various essential commodities on popular social networks such as YouTube, Facebook, Zalo, Tiktok. Deputy … [Read more...] about Smuggling, commercial fraud on social networks becoming more serious
Smuggling
6 arrested for smuggling Chinese into Vietnam
Officers in Lao Cai that borders China on Tuesday caught two people on a motorbike following suspicious behavior, Vietnam News Agency reported. Nguyen Hoang Minh Duc, 19, and passenger Cao Hoang Vu, 18, both locals, said they had joined four other men late Monday night to collect two Chinese men near the border in Bat Xat District. The other four were found to be Hoang Ba Duoc, 19, Tran Nguyen Hung, 22, Ly Van Mong, 35, and Do Van Tiep, 34, police announced Wednesday. Using car tires, some had swam across the Red River, transporting two Chinese individuals into Vietnam during the first hours of Tuesday. The two Chinese are Duan Xi Pi, 22, from Xiamen in Fujian Province and Zhu Lin, 33, from Jiangsu Province. The six Vietnamese had planned to drop the two Chinese with another contact en route to Hanoi when they were caught at around 2:30 a.m. Tuesday. The case is under investigation. For "organizing illegal entry into Vietnam" one could face jail terms ranging from one … [Read more...] about 6 arrested for smuggling Chinese into Vietnam
Man arrested for smuggling 10 kilos of meth for $6,400
Bien Van Truong, 35, was caught at around 8 p.m. on Wednesday by Ha Tinh border guards as he was trying to flee from a taxi passing through Vu Quang District. Officers found a black plastic bag inside the car containing 10 kilograms of meth, worth around VND500 million. Truong said the drugs were from Laos and that he was hired by a stranger to hide the bag in Cam Xuyen District before delivering it to Binh Duong Province that borders HCMC for VND150 million. Vietnam has been identified by security agencies as a key trafficking hub for narcotics despite having some of the world's toughest drug laws. Those convicted of possessing or smuggling more than 600 grams of heroin or more than 2.5 kilograms of meth face the death penalty. … [Read more...] about Man arrested for smuggling 10 kilos of meth for $6,400
Ring leader on trial for smuggling petrol and oil
Ring leader Luyen Xuan Trang and other defendants at the trial This morning, the People's Court of Binh Thuan province opened a first-instance trial of the defendant 49-year-old Luyen Xuan Trang hailing from the Northern Province of Hung Yen for smuggling petrol and oil at Duong Dong Hoa Phu Company. Trang is the leader of the largest petrol and oil smuggling ring from Singapore to Vietnam’s Binh Thuan Province with a total value of more than VND2,034 billion. According to the police indictment, in September 2015, Luyen Xuan Trang made an agreement with the General Director of Duong Dong Sai Gon Company to receive and transfer 80 percent of shares of Duong Dong Hoa Phu Company for VND430 billion. Because Duong Dong Hoa Phu Company still owes a bank loan, Luyen Xuan Trang receives all assets and liabilities of Duong Dong Hoa Phu Company and is responsible for repaying the loan. Luyen Xuan Trang discussed and agreed with Nguyen Duc Manh that Trang and Manh jointly bought 80 … [Read more...] about Ring leader on trial for smuggling petrol and oil
Vietnam court sentences 7 to death for narcotic transportation
The People’s Court in the Mekong Delta province of Dong Thap on Wednesday sentenced seven people to death for illegally transporting over 45 kilograms of narcotics in 2020. The death penalty was handed down to Le Duy Linh, Tran Van Thuc, Nguyen Minh Thiet, Huynh Van Ly, Le Van Thanh, Nguyen Van Thai, and Nguyen Trung Hieu. All were convicted of the illegal transportation of narcotics, though Linh was also found guilty of trading, possession of narcotics, and organization of illegal drug use. An eighth and ninth individual also present at the trial received a life sentence and 20-year sentence, respectively, for drug-related offenses. The indictment showed that police in Dong Thap caught Thai transporting 45.3 kilograms of narcotics, including over seven kilograms of heroin, ten kilograms of methamphetamine, 11.3 kilograms of MDMA, commonly known as ecstasy, and nearly 17 kilograms of ketamine, at around 10:00 pm on August 15, 2020 to carry out a transaction in Ho Chi Minh … [Read more...] about Vietnam court sentences 7 to death for narcotic transportation
Trade remedies imposed on sugar imports from five ASEAN countries
The Ministry of Industry and Trade has decided to impose trade remedies against sugar products imported from five ASEAN countries that use Thai sugarcane. — VNA/VNS Photo The Ministry of Industry and Trade has decided to apply measures to prevent evasion of trade remedies against sugar products imported from five ASEAN countries that use Thai sugar materials. It will impose an anti-dumping duty of 42.99 per cent and an anti-subsidy duty of 4.65 per cent on sugar coming from Laos, Cambodia, Indonesia, Malaysia, and Myanmar. However, the imported products will not be subject to the anti-evasion measures if proven to be made from sugarcane harvested in these countries. The tariffs will take effect seven days after the issuance date of the decision (August 2) until June 15, 2026, unless the decision is superseded by new ones from the ministry. The decision followed an investigation by the ministry’s Trade Remedies Authority which concluded that Thai sugarcane products subject … [Read more...] about Trade remedies imposed on sugar imports from five ASEAN countries