Prevent violations of the law on fireworks early and from afar
Although the authorities have taken strict action, the buying, selling, transporting, storing, and making of firecrackers in the province is still complicated.
Sophisticated tricks, online transactions
As a locality with a large area and large population, with a land border of 468.281km, adjacent to 3 provinces (Hua Phan, Xieng Khouang, Bolikhamxay) of Laos and 82km of coastline, the fight against violations of the law on fireworks in Nghe An faces many difficulties.
In recent times, along with promoting propaganda work, functional agencies have coordinated with local authorities to closely follow the area and synchronously deploy many solutions to combat illegal acts of buying, selling, transporting, storing and using fireworks.
Typically, through the work of grasping the situation, Do Luong District Police discovered a ring of illegal trading of all kinds of firecrackers in the area and established a special project to organize the fight.
During the investigation, the Task Force encountered many difficulties because the subjects operated very sophisticatedly, frequently changing phone numbers, locations, and delivery methods to avoid detection by authorities.
However, using professional measures, on February 4, 2024, Do Luong District Police arrested two subjects Phan Thi Hue (born in 1980) and Phan Thi Thu Huong (born in 1984), both residing in Trung Son commune, Do Luong district, for trading in prohibited goods, seizing nearly 130kg of firecrackers.
Then, on May 25, 2024, in village 5, Thanh Ha commune, Thanh Chuong district, the Department of Police Investigation of Crimes on Corruption, Economy and Smuggling (Provincial Police) presided over and coordinated with Thanh Chuong District Police to arrest Tran Dai Sy (born in 1987), residing in Thanh Ha commune, for the act of producing and trading in prohibited goods.
The seized exhibits included 70 foreign-made fireworks mortars (36-round fireworks), with a total weight of 100kg; 20 explosives weighing 4kg, 40 detonators, and 1 car.
According to the authorities, although they know that fireworks are prohibited from circulation and trading and the law has strict penalties, due to high profits, some people still find ways to secretly buy, sell, transport and store them.
The methods of buying and selling fireworks are very sophisticated, transactions are mainly conducted on cyberspace; criminals (mainly ringleaders and traders of large quantities of fireworks) often carry out preparation activities for buying, selling and transporting very early (early in the year or mid-year), then divide and sell at the end of the year to provide to users during holidays and Tet.
Some subjects colluded with locals who were doing business abroad, through social networks, to order large quantities of fireworks and transport them by unofficial routes to gather in the area for consumption. Or they colluded with people from other provinces to buy illegal fireworks from abroad and bring them into Nghe An for consumption.
Typically, recently (October 17-20, 2024), the Criminal Police Department (Provincial Police) coordinated with relevant units to successfully destroy a ring of buying, selling and storing 2.3 tons of illegal fireworks from abroad to Nghe An, arresting the subject.
Accordingly, the subject Dang Duc Phuong (born in 1983), residing in Vinh Tan ward, Vinh city, is a truck driver on the North-South route, who colluded with another driver, Le Van Duan (born in 1988), residing in Binh Phuoc province, to buy a large quantity of illegal fireworks from Cambodia to Vietnam and gather them at Phuong's private home in Vinh city.
Phuong then delivered the fireworks to Nguyen Quang Nam (born in 1973), residing in Nghi Long commune, Nghi Loc district, as the main salesman and distributor of the fireworks. Expanding the investigation, the Criminal Police Department arrested 5 more subjects in the ring of trading, storing, and transporting fireworks from abroad to Nghe An led by Duan, Phuong, and Nam.
In addition, there are also cases of self-made fireworks and illegal use of fireworks, concentrated among young people, posing many potential risks to security and order.
A recent example, through the social network Facebook, at around 12:30 on October 12, 2024, Hoang Mai City Police discovered at the house of Nguyen Dinh Luong (born in 1971), residing in Quynh Xuan Ward, Hoang Mai City, fireworks were being set off during a wedding.
Immediately after discovering the incident, Hoang Mai Town Police quickly dispatched forces to focus on investigating and verifying. Thereby, it was determined that there were 5 related subjects including: Nguyen Dinh Truong (born in 1994), Vu Minh Thoai (born in 1989), Vu Van Vinh (born in 1988), Luu Van Quynh (born in 2006), all residing in Quynh Xuan Ward, Hoang Mai Town and Vo Van Hau (born in 1986), residing in Hoi Son Commune, Anh Son District.
The Investigation Police Agency of Hoang Mai City Police has issued a decision to temporarily detain the above 5 subjects for the crime of "Disturbing public order"; at the same time, they are consolidating the files and documents to initiate criminal proceedings and prosecute the accused for general deterrence and prevention.
Early prevention, from afar
In order to prevent and combat violations of the law on fireworks, especially before, during and after the Lunar New Year of At Ty in 2025, from early and from afar, the People's Committee of Nghe An province issued Plan No. 742/KH-UBND dated September 30, 2024, requesting sectors and localities to proactively deploy early, synchronously and drastically solutions, mobilizing the strength of the entire political system and the entire population to participate in preventing, detecting, fighting, stopping and strictly handling acts of smuggling, manufacturing, trading, transporting, storing and illegally using fireworks.
In particular, pay attention to key routes (sea routes including Quynh Luu, Dien Chau, Nghi Loc districts, Cua Lo town and Hoang Mai town; road routes including National Highways 1A, 7A, 7B, 46, 46B, 48, 48B, 15A and Ho Chi Minh road; border routes including Nam Can International Border Gate (Ky Son), Thanh Thuy Border Gate (Thanh Chuong), small-scale roads; railway routes through Nghe An.
The Provincial People's Committee also requested the relevant agencies to closely monitor and manage suspicious subjects, subjects with criminal records for smuggling, manufacturing, trading, storing, transporting, and illegally using firecrackers; youth, teenagers, students showing signs of illegally storing and using firecrackers and materials for making firecrackers; vehicle owners, drivers of vehicles on roads and waterways with conditions, capabilities or suspicious signs, especially subjects who frequently travel to border areas, seaports, and long-distance passenger car drivers; Associations, groups, accounts, and e-commerce sites on cyberspace showing signs of guiding the illegal manufacture, production, and trading of firecrackers, firecrackers, and materials for making firecrackers...
At the same time, establish interdisciplinary inspection teams to coordinate administrative inspections of commercial centers, markets, establishments trading in chemicals, precursors, gathering points at bus stations, train stations, seaports, estuaries... to detect, seize, and strictly handle violators according to the law.
The Provincial People's Committee requested all levels and sectors to innovate content, diversify forms of propaganda, and disseminate legal regulations on people's use of fireworks of Z121 Company, Ministry of National Defense.
In particular, focusing on increasing the time of propaganda on mass media, social networking sites, electronic information sites, fanpages of sectors, levels, local authorities combined with mobile propaganda in key areas. At the same time, organizing the signing of commitments to 100% of representatives of households, schools, students, and pupils to voluntarily comply with the provisions of the law on prohibiting the production, import, trade, storage, transportation, and illegal use of fireworks and materials for making fireworks.
Along with clearly assigning tasks and assigning specific responsibilities to leaders of Party committees, authorities at all levels, heads of sectors and functional agencies in the area in the work of preventing and combating firecrackers, Plan No. 742/KH-UBND of the Provincial People's Committee also emphasizes the need to "Review and make a list of violations to proactively educate, deter and prevent re-offending. Publicly announce violations of firecrackers to schools, agencies, work units, local authorities and mass media according to the provisions of law".
In addition, through recent violations of the law related to fireworks, the authorities also recommend: Decree 137/2020/ND-CP of the Government allows people to set off fireworks, but only allows organizations and enterprises under the Ministry of National Defense to trade in fireworks.
The Decree completely prohibits individuals from using fireworks. If people intentionally use, trade, store, or transport fireworks, they will be subject to administrative sanctions or criminal prosecution.
Therefore, people need to strictly comply, not participate in, and not assist in violations of the law on fireworks.
