Hanoi (VNS/VNA) - More measures are needed in thefight against trade fraud and illegal cross-border smuggling between Vietnamand other countries, which continues to be a problem, the General Department ofCustoms has said.

Speaking at an online conference to review customs work in2019, general director of the department Nguyen Van Can said the war againstcommercial fraud had become more sophisticated and dynamic.

In December alone, more than 1,060 violations worth 177billion VND (7.6 million USD) were handled. Legal proceedings have been startedagainst as many as 23 violators.

In 2019, more than 16,660 cases of trade fraud, with a valueof goods amounting to 2.6 trillion VND (111.9 million USD) were discovered.Legal proceedings have been started against 145 violators.

Can said origin fraud was among most common violations. Manycases in which imported goods, mainly garments and textile and electronicappliances, were labelled ‘Made in Vietnam’ were uncovered.

There was a legal gap in rules of origin of the goods. The unclearlegal documents and late response of authorised agencies were among causes ofthe violations, he said.

Can cited the Asanzo incident as one example. Last June,Asanzo Vietnam Electronics JSC was accused of origin fraud and cheatingcustomers as it imported goods from China but claimed them to be of Vietnameseorigin when sold in the domestic market.

The Vietnam Chamber of Commerce and Industry (VCCI) laterannounced that it cleared the company following Vietnamese law.

As stipulated, a product can include the ‘Made in Vietnam’label if it is assembled from components which are purchased in Vietnam orimported from other countries.

Can said it would be easier to handle the cases if there wereclear and comprehensive regulations on origin fraud.

Can said the department had consulted with the SupremePeople's Procuracy to deploy measures to deter and seize goods with unclearorigin.

Can said in the first quarter of this year, ministries andbranches would review regulations on origin fraud to avoid causing confusionfor both authorities and businesses, such as in the case of Asanzo.

Drug and wildlife trafficking is also on the rise, thedepartment reported.

Inter-provincial and border trafficking rings have been uncoverednationwide.

Early last year, the customs department in central Ha Tinh province,in cooperation with local police, found seven people smuggling 370 packages ofnarcotics from Ha Tinh to the northern provinces of Lang Son and Cao Bang.

Two months later, 13 people of Chinese and Vietnamesenationalities were caught transporting 300 kilogrammes of ecstasy from Laos toVietnam and Vietnam to Taiwan via border gates.

In April, customs officials in An Giang province found sixpeople hiding 31,850 tablets of ecstasy and 17 kilos of heroin in their luggagewhile travelling to Cambodia.

Several months later, four Taiwanese people were caughttransporting 500 kilos of ketamine – the largest amount of ketamine ever seizedin the country – to a warehouse in HCM City’s Binh Chanh district. The drugswere estimated to be worth nearly 500 billion VND (21.5 million USD).

Reports from customs officials in Da Nang city and Ha Tinhand Ba Ria-Vung Tau provinces revealed that ivory tusks and pangolin scaleswere commonly smuggled. Most were found in containers disguised as scrap orcargo.

Can said the department would tighten inspections on goodsahead of the Tet holiday, especially alcohol, food and imported fruits.

It would also increase control over goods transiting throughVietnam to other countries to fight against counterfeit products and originfraud./.