Nghe An launches peak campaign to fight against smuggling and trade fraud

Rectifying e-commerce activities

PV:Could you please tell us about the outstanding results achieved by the Market Management Department in 2019?
Mr. Nguyen Van Huong:In 2019,Nghe An Market Management Departmenthas effectively implemented directives, plans, and guiding documents of the Government, Prime Minister, National Steering Committee 389, Ministry of Industry and Trade, General Department of Market Management, and Provincial People's Committee, creating positive changes in the fight against smuggling, counterfeit goods, and trade fraud.

Over the past year, the Department has coordinated with businesses and localities to organize propaganda and dissemination of laws on anti-smuggling, counterfeit goods and trade fraud, and ways to distinguish genuine and counterfeit goods in some key areas.

Market management coordinates forces to fight against smuggling, counterfeit goods, and trade fraud in Dien Chau. Photo: Van Truong

Mobilize business owners to sign a commitment not to trade in smuggled goods, prohibited goods, or produce,Counterfeit goods, goods do not meet quality standards and food hygiene and safety.

In particular, the Ministry of Industry and Trade selected Nghe An as one of the eight key provinces in the plan to rectify e-commerce activities. In order to improve the effectiveness of state management and stabilize the e-commerce market, the Nghe An Market Management Department has developed a plan assigned to Market Management Team No. 11 to preside over and coordinate with the Economic Security Department - Provincial Police to implement.

Market management forces inspect sports shoes for sale in Vinh city. Photo: Van Truong

Violating e-commerce websites, especially those using international domain names, were closed in a short period of time, making it difficult for authorities to control and identify evidence to fight and handle. With the determination of the Nghe An Market Management Department, from the beginning of 2020 to now, Market Management Team No. 11 has handled 65 e-commerce violations, with a total fine of 1 billion 233 million VND. The main violations are setting up e-commerce websites to sell goods without fulfilling the obligation to notify the Ministry of Industry and Trade as prescribed, not registering a business, trading in smuggled goods, counterfeit goods, goods of unknown origin via social networks, etc.

In 2020, Nghe An Market Management Department detected and sanctioned 3,298 administrative violations, with a total fine value of 11 billion 422 million VND, of which 5 billion 610 million VND was administrative fine. The value of confiscated and destroyed goods was nearly 6 billion VND.

Launching a peak period to fight against smuggling and trade fraud

PV:Could you tell us about the developments in the transportation of prohibited goods, smuggled goods, counterfeit goods, trade fraud and other illegal business activities that often take place during peak times such as the end of 2019 and before the Lunar New Year 2021?
Mr. Nguyen Van Huong:Annual surveys show that the demand for goods in Nghe An often increases sharply at the end of the year and during the Lunar New Year. Therefore, smuggling, counterfeit goods and trade fraud activities will become more complicated and tend to increase with sophisticated methods of operation and tricks. Smugglers often transport smuggled goods that are consumed in large quantities into the market such as foreign alcohol, foreign cigarettes, cosmetics, fireworks of all kinds, etc.

Market management forces inspect the Tet wine market. Photo: Thu Huyen

Along with that, there is also a situation of fake goods of poor quality and uses circulating in the market, making it difficult for consumers. The goods of unknown origin are mainly cosmetics, shampoo, dried fruit, wine, candy, children's toys...; notably, there are also oriental medicine and weight loss drugs. Taking advantage of the fluctuations of the Tet market to increase the prices of consumer goods such as food, construction materials and foods to serve the consumption needs during Tet such as jams, candy, soft drinks, sugar, milk, cooking oil, beer...

Many low-quality and counterfeit goods were discovered and handled by the Market Management Force. Photo: Thu Huyen

Strengthen market inspection and control, strictly handle violations of the law, focus on essential goods consumed a lot during the New Year and Lunar New Year, and goods used in the prevention and control of the Covid-19 epidemic.

Strengthening information and propaganda activities to organizations, individuals trading goods and consumers to raise legal awareness in business activities and consumer culture. We also sign commitments with organizations and individuals trading in the area not to participate in smuggling, trade fraud, production and trading of counterfeit and poor quality goods.

At the same time, inspect and control essential goods with high consumer demand during the end of the year and Lunar New Year such as electronics, refrigeration, clothing, footwear, food, confectionery, sugar, fruit, wine, beer, cigarettes, cigars, soft drinks, gasoline, animals and animal products... to prevent speculation, hoarding, and unreasonable price increases, ensuring market stability to serve people's Tet needs.

Strengthen coordination with functional forces and local authorities to organize inspections and controls on border and sea routes. Focus on ports, estuaries, border gates, small-scale roads, railways, airways, freight routes, warehouses, wharves, markets, and commercial centers. Strictly handle violations of smuggling, trade fraud, and counterfeit goods according to the law.

Market management officers destroy counterfeit and poor quality goods. Photo: Thu Huyen

Inspect and control food safety issues, agricultural, forestry and fishery products; focus on inspecting wholesale markets, supermarkets, frozen food warehouses, frozen food importers and traders, street food production and trading establishments. Combine inspections of signs of speculation, hoarding, illegal price increases; inspect the implementation of goods measurement; Inspect the implementation of legal regulations on prices, price posting and selling at listed prices...