Nghe An: Strengthening coordination in market management at the end of the year

increasingly sophisticated tricks

According to the sectors and forces, in reality, with prohibited and smuggled goods, the common method of the subjects is to carry and transport goods in small quantities through trails and border openings, then legalize the sales invoices and transport them inland. To avoid inspection and control by the authorities, the subjects also disguise and hide them sophisticatedly with other goods such as in the trunk, homemade car compartment, etc.

Not to mention, since the Covid-19 pandemic, smuggled goods, counterfeit goods, and poor quality goods,goods of unknown origin, the origin of "disguised" under the name of "hand-carried" goods, cheap "sale goods" is becoming more and more common and is sold by subjects on electronic trading floors and social networking sites. More worryingly, subjects conduct transactions and sales on e-commerce sites and application platforms such as self-made websites, Zalo, Facebook... registering inaccurate information for transactions, making the situation even more complicated.

Authorities inspect infringing goods at the clothing business owned by Ms. NTL, located in Thanh Huong commune, Thanh Chuong district. Photo: QLTT

According to statistics from the Nghe An Market Management Department, from the beginning of 2022 to now, 2,948 cases have been inspected, 2,624 cases have been handled, with a total fine of over 8 billion VND. Typically, on the morning of July 6, 2022, Market Management Team No. 11 (Nghe An Market Management Department) coordinated with the Economic Security Department (Provincial Police) and Thanh Huong Commune Police (Thanh Chuong) to suddenly inspect the clothing business owned by Ms. NTL, located in Thanh Huong Commune, Thanh Chuong District. At the time of inspection, Ms. L.'s business was operating Facebook accounts "AT Warehouse; AT Store" to conduct livestreaming, sales, and order closing activities via social networks. Through inspection, the team discovered that the store was selling 2,100 sets of clothes of unknown origin, and the owner could not present invoices, vouchers, and legal papers to prove the origin of the goods.

Working with the inspection team, Ms. L. admitted that she bought all the above goods floating on the market, posted and livestreamed on the shop's fanpage accounts to sell for profit. Market Management Team No. 11 completed the documents to handle according to the correct procedures and regulations of the law; confiscated all the above goods with an estimated collection and fine value of 70 million VND.

1.3 tons of sugar were seized by Do Luong District Police. Photo: Nguyen Long

Recently, at 7:30 a.m. on November 15, the working group of Do Luong District Police received a report that Vinh Hoa grocery store in Block 6, Do Luong Town was trading in sugar of unknown origin. Accordingly, the working group inspected the business owned by Mr. Nguyen Trong Vinh (born in 1983), residing in Block 6, Do Luong Town. Through the inspection, 26 bags of sugar were discovered, the packaging printed with many foreign words, weighing more than 1.3 tons. The working group asked Mr. Nguyen Trong Vinh to present documents proving the origin of the goods. However, at the time of inspection, Mr. Nguyen Trong Vinh could not present invoices or documents proving the origin of the sugar. Do Luong District Police made a record, temporarily detained the exhibits to investigate, verify and handle according to regulations.

Need for synchronous coordination

Identifying this as a key and continuous task, over the past time, the Provincial Steering Committee 389 has directed sectors and localities to proactively grasp the situation, increase information exchange and provision, coordinate inspection, control, arrest, and handle smuggling, trade fraud, and counterfeit goods; contributing to ensuring price stability, preventing and repelling the trade of banned, counterfeit, and poor-quality goods, especially essential goods for Tet.

Nghe An Market Management Department continues to implement the signed coordination regulations with sectors such as the Customs Department; Provincial Border Guard Command; Provincial Police, Department of Industry and Trade; Nghe An Petroleum Company. Thereby, supporting each other in exchanging, providing information on operations, examining, verifying, and coordinating forces in the process of inspection and control, in order to improve the effectiveness of the fight against smuggling, counterfeit goods, and violations of food hygiene and safety in the new situation.

Nghe An Market Management Department destroys counterfeit, fake and poor quality goods. Photo: D.C.

According to Colonel Duong Hong Hai - Deputy Commander of Nghe An Border Guard: Through many different methods and tricks, subjects often take advantage of the field of export, import, temporary import for re-export to carry out smuggling, trade fraud, counterfeit goods and illegal transportation of goods across the border. Emerging activities include illegal currency transportation, trading of livestock (buffalo, cows) across the border; illegal transportation and trading of gasoline and oil in border areas and sea areas. Accordingly, since the beginning of the year, the Provincial Border Guard has arrested 7 cases/13 individuals and 1 organization, confiscated evidence of 7,260 kg of scrap iron, 83 kg of ore, 16 cows, 10,000 USD, 15,443 liters of diesel oil, 1,123,000 VND of illegal profits from selling 1,844 liters of diesel oil; prosecuted 3 cases/4 subjects, administratively sanctioned 4 cases/9 individuals and 1 organization, paid to the State budget 222,500,000 VND (an increase of 6 cases/12 subjects compared to the same period in 2021).

In reality, in order for smuggled goods, counterfeit goods, poor quality goods, goods of unknown origin, etc. to penetrate the market, in addition to objective reasons, "loopholes" from the sectors and functional forces, it also comes from the consumption needs of the people. For example, "there is supply, there is demand", when people "love" foreign goods, but also want cheap goods, fake and poor quality goods will arise. Not to mention, subjects often take advantage of people's lack of knowledge and low income to bring fake and poor quality goods to rural areas, mountainous areas, remote areas for consumption...

According to Mr. Nguyen Van Huong - Director of Nghe An Market Management Department, along with the regular implementation plan, on November 8, 2022, Nghe An Market Management Department issued a Plan to implement the peak period against smuggling, trade fraud and counterfeit goods before, during and after the Lunar New Year 2023. Accordingly, on the basis of developing plans and inspection plans for each topic, specific fields, and key areas, closely coordinate with functional forces to strengthen inspection and control of production and business establishments. Specifically, focus on inspection and control of essential goods with high consumer demand at the end of the year such as: Electronics, refrigeration, clothing, shoes, sandals, confectionery, sugar, beer, wine, soft drinks, animals and products processed from animals...

Destroying counterfeit goods at Nghe An Market Management Department. Photo: QLTT

Along with that, strengthen inspection of manifestations of speculation, hoarding, illegal price increases; inspect the implementation of goods measurement, goods quality declaration, goods labeling... of production, business, wholesale and retail establishments to promptly detect commercial fraud tricks. Inspect and handle violations in the transportation and trading of smuggled and prohibited goods; ensuring food safety and hygiene; violations in the fields of trade promotion, e-commerce, websites, social networks, online sales applications...

Strengthening active coordination with functional forces and local authorities to deploy professional measures, organize inspections and control of warehouses, goods gathering points, trade centers, supermarkets, wholesale markets, cold storage warehouses, roads and railways in key areas of the province. According to Mr. Nguyen Van Huong, the Department clearly defines the responsibilities of the heads. If any area has a hot spot for smuggling, trade fraud, production and trade of counterfeit and banned goods, the Market Management Team Leader in charge of that area must take full responsibility. Along with that, the Nghe An Market Management Department will strengthen management, supervision, and strictly maintain discipline and administrative order in the performance of official duties. In particular, it will resolutely handle collectives and individuals of corrupt civil servants who cover up and assist in violations.

Thus, it can be seen that with the highest goal of protecting the market, protecting consumers and businesses, along with the key role of the market management force, it is necessary to have the active participation of sectors, forces, localities, people and businesses in detecting and coordinating handling. Accordingly, the authorities need to continue to promote the effectiveness of the channel to receive information from consumers about violations in the market for timely inspection and handling. At the same time, along with propaganda work, people themselves need to raise their own awareness, become smart consumers, so as not to support counterfeit, fake, poor quality goods...