Preventing violations of the law on fireworks during the Lunar New Year of Giap Thin

Dismantling many firecracker trafficking and transportation rings

In addition to propaganda work, in recent times, the Police of units and localities in Nghe An have regularly coordinated with the Border Guard, Customs, Market Management, Coast Guard, etc. to carry out the work of preventing and combating crimes and violations of the law on fireworks, especially at key routes, areas and sectors.

Thereby, promptly detecting and dismantling many firecracker trading and transportation lines, preventing illegal smuggling of firecrackers into the province.

Typically, in early August 2023, through professional work and understanding the local situation, the General Investigation Team (Vinh City Police) discovered a ring that traded in large quantities of prohibited goods (fireworks) across the country, led by Nguyen Sy Thai, born in 1979, residing in Nhan Son commune, Do Luong district. This ring originated from abroad through the Lao Bao border gate area, Quang Tri province, then the subjects transported it to Nghe An for consumption. Faced with the above situation, Vinh City Police established a special project to focus on the fight.

On September 13, 2023, the Investigation Team discovered Nguyen Sy Thai and another subject taking a passenger bus to a car rental shop in Vinh City to rent a car to go to Quang Tri to receive goods.

The task force of the Special Task Force closely followed and monitored the movements of the subject, choosing the appropriate time and location to solve the case. After determining that the subject received the goods in Khe Sanh town, Huong Hoa district, Quang Tri province and moved to Hung Dong commune, Vinh city to deliver the goods, the Special Task Force decided to solve the case.

At 7:00 a.m. on September 14, 2023, at road N2, Bac Vinh Industrial Park in Hung Dong commune, Vinh city, Nguyen Sy Thai and 2 other subjects, Thai Doan Phuc, born in 1983, residing in Hong Son commune, Do Luong district; Hoang Huu The, born in 1973, residing in Quang Son commune, Do Luong district, were caught red-handed for "Trading in prohibited goods"; a total of 500 kg of foreign-made explosives (including 342 mortars of various types of explosives), 1 7-seat car, and 100 million VND were seized.

Searching Thai's house in Nhan Son commune, Do Luong district, the police seized an additional 7 kg of firecrackers. At the police station, Thai confessed that he hired Hoang Huu The to go with him to Quang Tri province to transport the above firecrackers to sell to Thai Doan Phuc.

Previously, at 4:00 p.m. on August 12, 2023, at Block 1, Hung Nguyen Town, Hung Nguyen District, the District Police working group discovered and arrested Cao Ky (born in 1995), a native of Hung Nguyen Town, residing in Ia Toi Commune, Ia H' Drai District, Kon Tum Province, for trading in prohibited goods (firecrackers). At the scene, the police force seized many sacks containing nearly 164 kg of firecrackers.

In the border area, many illegal firecracker trafficking rings from abroad, through the Border Gate with sophisticated tricks, have also been discovered by the authorities. Typically, at 4:35 p.m. on August 9, at the inspection and supervision of imported goods and vehicles entering the Nam Can International Border Gate, the Border Guard Station of the Nam Can International Border Gate (Nghe An Border Guard) and the Customs Sub-Department of the Nam Can International Border Gate (Nghe An Customs) inspected the tractor with license plate: 37C-134.46, trailer 37R006.22 driven by Le Ngoc Hung (born in 1993), residing in Nghi Kim commune, Vinh city, and discovered 24 explosive fireworks (weighing 26 kg) hidden under the mattress in the tractor cabin.

Through investigation and verification, the subject Le Ngoc Hung confessed: Previously, he drove the above-mentioned tractor-trailer to Phonsavan, Xieng Khouang province, Laos and asked a Lao man (name and address unknown) to buy the above fireworks for 4 million VND, hid them under the mattress in the tractor cabin and brought them back to Vietnam.

According to the assessment of the authorities, the situation of buying, selling and transporting illegal fireworks often shows signs of increasing towards the end of the year. The criminals are not big criminals but mainly spontaneous acts due to the profits they bring. Among them, the methods and tricks of the subjects buying and selling illegal fireworks through Facebook, Zalo, etc. have emerged.

The authorities advise people that the acts of manufacturing, trading, transporting, storing, and using firecrackers and fireworks are all illegal. Violators will be subject to administrative sanctions according to Decree No. 137/2020/ND-CP on the management and use of firecrackers; Decree 144/2021/ND-CP dated December 31, 2021 stipulating administrative sanctions for violations in the fields of security, order, and social safety; prevention and control of social evils; fire prevention and fighting; rescue and salvage, or will be held criminally liable according to Articles 190 and 191 of the 2015 Penal Code, amended and supplemented in 2017, on the acts of illegally manufacturing, trading, transporting, storing, and using firecrackers and fireworks.

Clear work, clear responsibility

In order to proactively, synchronously and resolutely deploy solutions to mobilize the strength of the entire political system and the entire population to participate in preventing, detecting, combating, stopping and strictly handling acts of smuggling, manufacturing, trading, storing and illegally using fireworks.

Since the end of August 2023, the People's Committee of Nghe An province has issued Plan No. 636/KH-UBND requesting departments, branches, sectors and localities to focus on strictly directing the work of preventing and combating violations related to fireworks before, during and after the Lunar New Year of Giap Thin (implementation period from September 10, 2023 to February 26, 2024).

The Provincial People's Committee also requested the Provincial Police, the Provincial Border Guard Command, the Provincial Customs Department, the Coast Guard, etc. to strengthen coordination in closely controlling the border and sea routes, especially at ports, estuaries, border gates, and small-scale roads to detect, handle, and prevent smuggling, production, trading, storage, and illegal use of fireworks and firecrackers. Establish interdisciplinary inspection teams to coordinate administrative inspections of commercial centers, markets, establishments trading in chemicals and precursors, and gathering points at bus stations, train stations, seaports, estuaries, etc. to detect, seize, and strictly handle violations of fireworks and firecrackers according to the law.

In particular, pay attention to key routes, areas and subjects, including the sea route including the districts of Quynh Luu, Dien Chau, Nghi Loc, Cua Lo town, Hoang Mai town; the road route including National Highway 1A, 7A, 7B, 46, 46B, 48, 48B, 15A, Ho Chi Minh road, the road expressway section through Nghe An; the border route (Nam Can border gate (Ky Son), Thanh Thuy (Thanh Chuong), small-scale roads and the railway through Nghe An.

Regarding the subjects, in addition to the subjects suspected of operating in smuggling and illegal trading lines and groups of fireworks and firecrackers; subjects with criminal records for smuggling, manufacturing, trading, storing, transporting and illegally using fireworks; groups of subjects who are teenagers, students and pupils showing signs of illegal production, trading, storing and using fireworks, it is necessary to pay attention to vehicle owners and drivers on roads and waterways who have the conditions, ability or suspicious signs of illegal trading and transporting of fireworks and firecrackers, especially those who frequently travel through border areas and seaports. Business establishments that trade in precursors and chemicals that subjects often take advantage of in easy trading to produce and manufacture illegal fireworks...

The provincial People's Committee also requested the relevant agencies to strictly control the Ministry of National Defense's fireworks selling points, not to allow cases of taking advantage of licensed fireworks selling points to sell smuggled fireworks; not to hoard goods, raise prices, or report that the products are out of stock but then smuggle the goods outside to sell at high prices.

For the People's Committees of districts, cities and towns, the Provincial People's Committee requires clearly assigning tasks of local management and assigning specific responsibilities to the heads of Party committees, authorities at all levels, heads of sectors and functional agencies in the locality in firecracker prevention and control; handling responsibilities for organizations and individuals lacking spirit and responsibility, not implementing or not seriously implementing firecracker prevention and control solutions in the fields and areas under their responsibility.

“Any unit or locality that lacks attention to directing or does not seriously and fully direct the implementation of the contents and tasks in Plan No. 636/KH-UBND, causing the situation of violations related to fireworks in the area or management field to become complicated (injuries due to fireworks; many fireworks explosions, especially on New Year's Eve), the collective and individual heads of that unit or locality must be responsible before the Chairman of the Provincial People's Committee”, the official dispatch of the Provincial People's Committee emphasized.