Strong sanctions are needed against smuggled cigarettes.

Currently, the situation of transporting and trading illegal cigarettes is becoming more and more complicated and sophisticated, and there needs to be strong enough sanctions to limit this situation.

More sophisticated operationsAccording to the Hanoi Market Management Department, there are currently 42,689 drug trading locations in the city, of which 221 are specialized in cigarette trading. The profits from cigarette smuggling are very high (about 30 times higher than legal trading), while the law only criminally prosecutes smugglers of 1,500 packs or more, so it is not enough of a deterrent.

In fact, these types of crimes are operating in the form of organized networks and gangs, often transporting less than 1,500 bags to avoid criminal prosecution. Meanwhile, the investigation, classification, and organization of capturing large smugglers and distributors are still limited.

Implementing the Prime Minister's direction, in recent times, Hanoi has deployed many measures to inspect and control the market. Up to now, the phenomenon of transporting, storing, trading and consuming smuggled cigarettes in the city has tended to decrease, and the sale of smuggled foreign cigarettes is no longer as public as before.

However, according to the Department of Investigation Police on Economic Management and Position Crimes (PC 46, Hanoi City Police), recently, through monitoring, it has been shown that the situation of trading, storing and transporting smuggled foreign cigarettes has become very complicated. Smuggled cigarettes enter the Hanoi market through many different routes, most of which are from border gates in the Northeastern provinces such as Quang Ninh, Lang Son, Cao Bang... 100% of cigarette retail outlets consume smuggled cigarettes.

According to statistics, in the first 9 months of 2013, Hanoi Steering Committee 127 has directed functional forces to fight against the transportation, trading, and storage of smuggled cigarettes, focusing on fighting against major networks. It has inspected and handled 231 cases of smuggling cigarettes, imposed administrative fines of VND 349,330,000, prosecuted 16 defendants, confiscated and destroyed 50,489 packs of smuggled foreign cigarettes worth VND 757,355,000; 5,236 kg of cigarettes. Confiscated and confiscated 14,759 kg of tobacco leaves without invoices or documents.

Need "strong" sanctions

Faced with the complicated developments of the situation of smuggling and transporting smuggled cigarettes, Steering Committee 127 has issued Plan 36/KH-BCĐ on inspection against smuggling, transporting and trading smuggled cigarettes in the city. It requires functional forces and districts and towns in the area to coordinate and focus on market inspection of smuggling, transporting and storing smuggled cigarettes, combined with propaganda and organizing tobacco business units and households to sign a commitment not to transport, trade or store smuggled cigarettes and to conduct tobacco business in accordance with the provisions of law.

Step by step, push back the situation of smuggled foreign cigarettes circulating in the market, firstly eliminate the public display of smuggled foreign cigarettes, including the phenomenon of displaying foreign cigarette packaging; organize focused inspections, focusing on border locations, places of goods distribution, warehouses, yards, transportation routes and bus stations.

On October 14, 2013, Hanoi City Police issued Plan No. 20/CAHN-PC46 on combating and preventing crimes of trafficking, storing, and transporting contraband goods, namely smuggled cigarettes, in the area.

To push back the current acts of trading and transporting smuggled cigarettes, according to Lieutenant Colonel Dang Hong Duong, Deputy Head of the Anti-Smuggling and Prohibited Goods Trading Team (PC46), the quantity for criminal prosecution should be reduced to less than 1,500 packs for strict handling, enough to deter the subjects; Steering Committee 127 of Hanoi City proposed and recommended that the Party and authorities at all levels issue documents directing the entire political system to participate in the fight against smuggled cigarettes. Strengthen propaganda measures on mass media so that all levels and sectors actively participate in detecting and combating violations.

Direct forces to eliminate smuggled cigarette trading points in the city, focusing first on Hang Hanh, Nguyen Sieu, Cua Nam streets, and Hoan Kiem Lake area; issue documents assigning specialized forces to strictly handle smoking in public places.

Ms. Nguyen Thi Nhu Mai, Deputy Director of the Department of Industry and Trade, Deputy Head of Steering Committee 127 of Hanoi City said: “The work of preventing and combating the trade of smuggled cigarettes is the responsibility of many functional agencies, in which the Market Management Department is the main management agency. Therefore, units based on their specific areas require market management teams to develop specific plans. If working 8 administrative hours a day is not enough, they will work overtime, if one team cannot finish the job, they will coordinate with many teams and coordinate with other forces to carry out the work together”.

“In the coming time, units need to step up propaganda so that all people can participate in the fight against and denounce those who trade and transport illegal cigarettes, especially during the upcoming Lunar New Year,” Ms. Mai emphasized.According to Rural Economics