Nghe An prevents firecracker trafficking and transportation lines

Fight and deal strictly

Although the law clearly stipulates prohibited acts related to the production, trading, storage, and transportation of firecrackers and has strict sanctions. However, for profit, some subjects still secretly produce, store, trade, transport, and use illegal firecrackers. According to the authorities, currently, the ringleaders tend to change their methods and tricks of operation, which is to organize buying, selling, and transporting at the beginning and middle of the year to divide and sell at the end of the year in order to deal with the authorities.

845 kg of fireworks seized by Dien Chau District Police on August 22, 2022. Photo courtesy of CTV

Through monitoring from April 2022 to present, the authorities have discovered and arrested 19 cases, 28 subjects committing crimes related to fireworks, and seized more than 2.7 tons of various types of fireworks. Typically, on June 6, the Criminal Police Department of the Provincial Police broke up a case, simultaneously arrested 4 subjects (residing in Dien Chau, Nghi Loc, Yen Thanh districts) for crimes related to fireworks, and seized 480 kg of fireworks. Then, on August 23, Dien Chau District Police broke up a case, arrested 01 subject, and seized 894.4 kg of fireworks...

Many illegal firecracker trafficking rings from abroad, involving people from other provinces, have also been fought and eliminated. For example, Nguyen Van Dai, residing in Mau Lam commune, Nhu Thanh district (Thanh Hoa), took advantage of his job as a long-distance driver to transport 310kg of firecrackers from abroad to Nghe An for sale and was arrested by Dien Chau district police on July 21. The seized evidence included 250 fireworks of 36 pieces, totaling 310kg. During an emergency search of Dai's residence in Dien Ky commune, the task force seized an additional 10,000 firecrackers with a total weight of 20kg.

Subject Nguyen Van Dai and the seized evidence. Photo: Hong Ngoc

Previously, on July 1, on the Vinh city bypass, through Hung Tay commune, Hung Nguyen district, the authorities coordinated to intercept and stop the passenger bus with license plate 37F-002.86 driven by Ho Dien Thu, residing in hamlet 6, Tan Son commune (Quynh Luu).

Through that, 5 cardboard boxes containing 100 blocks of 49-round firecrackers labeled foreign; total weight of nearly 1.5 quintals were discovered.

Continuing to expand the investigation, the police force executed an emergency arrest warrant for Nguyen Thi Thu Lanh, a permanent resident of Dak Mil district, Dak Nong province, who is temporarily residing in Dak To district, Kon Tum province. Searching the suspect's residence, Nghe An police continued to seize nearly 100 kg of explosive fireworks.

Subject Ho Dien Thu and evidence. Photo: Vuong Linh

According to the provisions of Decree No. 144/2021/ND-CP dated December 31, 2021 of the Government: People who exchange, give, donate, send, borrow, rent, lease, or mortgage explosive fireworks, smuggled fireworks, or firecrackers to illegally produce fireworks or use illegal fireworks or firecrackers will be fined from 5 to 10 million VND (stipulated in Point a, Clause 3 and Point i, Clause 3, Article 11).

Those who illegally transport or store fireworks, fireworks powder or raw materials and accessories for producing fireworks will be fined from 10 to 20 million VND (as prescribed in Point e, Clause 4, Article 11).

The 2015 Penal Code, amended and supplemented in 2017, also stipulates a number of criminal acts related to the purchase, transportation, storage and use of drugs.ngillegal

Therefore, violators beyond the level of administrative handling will be subject to criminal liability related to this crime.

Identify key target groups and locations

On September 12, 2022, the People's Committee of Nghe An province issued Document No. 621/KH on the plan to prevent and combat violations related to fireworks before, during and after the Lunar New Year of Quy Mao 2023.

In particular, identifying key routes and areas that need to focus on propaganda and control work include: Sea routes (Quynh Luu, Dien Chau, Nghi Loc districts, Cua Lo town and Hoang Mai town). Road routes (National Highways 1A, 7A, 7B, 46, 46B, 48, 48B, 15A, Ho Chi Minh road). Railway routes through Nghe An province. Border routes (Nam Can border gate (Ky Son), Thanh Thuy (Thanh Chuong), small-scale roads)...

Subject Mai Thi Ly was arrested by Dien Chau District Police with the evidence. Photo courtesy of CTV

Key groups of subjects include: Subjects 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. The number of subjects are teenagers, students and pupils who show signs of illegal production, trading, storing and using fireworks. 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 subjects who frequently travel through border areas and seaports.

On that basis, the Provincial People's Committee requests the functional forces to focus on detecting, arresting, investigating and clarifying violations of fireworks and strictly handling them according to the provisions of law. Promptly prosecute and try a number of typical cases to serve the propaganda, education, deterrence and general prevention work. Establish interdisciplinary inspection teams to coordinate administrative inspections of commercial centers, markets, wholesale and retail grocery stores, gathering points at bus stations, train stations, seaports, estuaries... to detect, seize and strictly handle violations of fireworks and firecrackers according to the provisions of law.

Strengthen strict control of border and sea routes (especially at ports, estuaries, border gates, and small-scale roads), at train stations, bus stations, shopping centers, markets, and crowded business areas to detect, handle, and prevent smuggling, production, trading, storage, and illegal use of fireworks and firecrackers.

Subject Luong Van Duong with evidence of the case at the police station. Photo: Hong Ngoc

In addition, the Provincial People's Committee also requested districts, cities, towns, and mass organizations to innovate content, diversify forms and methods of propaganda, and disseminate legal regulations on the prohibition of production, import, trade, storage, transportation, and illegal use of fireworks to all cadres, party members, and people in the area, especially to youth, teenagers, and students.

In particular, focus on increasing propaganda time on mass media, social networking sites, electronic information sites, fanpages of sectors, government levels... and mobile propaganda in key areas and subjects.

Districts, cities and towns simultaneously coordinate with functional agencies to launch a movement for the entire population to protect national security, associated with the work of preventing and combating violations related to fireworks. Organize the signing of commitments to voluntarily comply with legal regulations on the prohibition of the production, import, trade, storage, transportation and illegal use of fireworks.

"Any unit or locality that lacks attention to direction or does not seriously and fully direct implementation, allowing the situation of violations of firecrackers in the area or management field to become complicated, the collective and individual heads of that unit or locality must be responsible before the Chairman of the Provincial People's Committee" - Official Dispatch No. 621 of the Provincial People's Committee emphasized.