Viet Nam News (Hanoi)
VietNamNet Bridge – Smuggling has increased significantly in the lead-up to the Tet (Lunar New Year Festival) with more sophisticated means being deployed, according to police in the Cuu Long (Mekong) Delta province of An Giang.
Police said the smuggled goods, chiefly cigarettes and sugar, had been brought into An Giang Province in large quantities by many means. Smugglers were bringing in goods hidden in their clothes, as well as hidden compartments in cars, trucks and boats.
An Giang market watch officials recently launched a surprise raid on a motorised boat at the Chau Doc River crossroads, confiscating 21.8 tonnes of Thai sugar hidden in the boat's bottom.
The officials had earlier seized a boat carrying 21,000 packs of smuggled cigarettes in Chau Doc Town, one of the most consumed goods during the Tet season.
In the first nine months of this year, An Giang police have discovered 746 cases of smuggled cigarettes on National Highway 91, seizing 100,000 cartons worth a total of VND6.3 billion ($381,000).
Smugglers are using waterways and motorbikes to transport contraband goods from Ca Mau hill in Cambodia to the Vinh Nguon canal in Chau Doc Town before storing them in nearby houses, according to An Giang police.
Later, the smuggled goods are piled up on motorbikes in big cylinders and transported to Long Xuyen Town (An Giang Province) and Can Tho City, with teams of motorbikes hitting the road late in the night at high speeds to avoid being caught by the police.
Smugglers are also attempting to transport their goods by buses or tourist cars to avoid police inspections. Most express tourist buses on the Chau Doc-Can Tho City route have carried several boxes of smuggled cigarettes, hidden in compartments.
Early this month, local police teamed with market watch officials to stop a bus and seized 490 cartons of cigarettes hidden in passenger seats.
Dang Tan Dac, deputy head of Police's PC15 Division in An Giang Province, has proposed that relevant agencies step up close monitoring of smuggling activities during Tet when demand for many commodities peaks.
He also called for stricter punishment for smugglers to protect domestic goods and prevent the infiltration of contrabrand into the south-western areas of Chau Doc and An Giang.
Police said the smuggled goods, chiefly cigarettes and sugar, had been brought into An Giang Province in large quantities by many means. Smugglers were bringing in goods hidden in their clothes, as well as hidden compartments in cars, trucks and boats.
An Giang market watch officials recently launched a surprise raid on a motorised boat at the Chau Doc River crossroads, confiscating 21.8 tonnes of Thai sugar hidden in the boat's bottom.
The officials had earlier seized a boat carrying 21,000 packs of smuggled cigarettes in Chau Doc Town, one of the most consumed goods during the Tet season.
In the first nine months of this year, An Giang police have discovered 746 cases of smuggled cigarettes on National Highway 91, seizing 100,000 cartons worth a total of VND6.3 billion ($381,000).
Smugglers are using waterways and motorbikes to transport contraband goods from Ca Mau hill in Cambodia to the Vinh Nguon canal in Chau Doc Town before storing them in nearby houses, according to An Giang police.
Later, the smuggled goods are piled up on motorbikes in big cylinders and transported to Long Xuyen Town (An Giang Province) and Can Tho City, with teams of motorbikes hitting the road late in the night at high speeds to avoid being caught by the police.
Smugglers are also attempting to transport their goods by buses or tourist cars to avoid police inspections. Most express tourist buses on the Chau Doc-Can Tho City route have carried several boxes of smuggled cigarettes, hidden in compartments.
Early this month, local police teamed with market watch officials to stop a bus and seized 490 cartons of cigarettes hidden in passenger seats.
Dang Tan Dac, deputy head of Police's PC15 Division in An Giang Province, has proposed that relevant agencies step up close monitoring of smuggling activities during Tet when demand for many commodities peaks.
He also called for stricter punishment for smugglers to protect domestic goods and prevent the infiltration of contrabrand into the south-western areas of Chau Doc and An Giang.
