Nearly 12,300 tonnes of smuggled petrol have been seized between January and August, according to the General Department of Vietnam Customs.

12,300 tonnes of smuggled petrol have been seized

10,759 violations worth over VND323bn (USD14.68m) have been discovered, bringing in over VND88.9bn to the state budget. In April, the anti-smuggling force seized a ship transporting 20,000 litres of diesel worth VND200m without invoices or other papers on Hai Phong City-Quang Ninh Province maritime channel.

In the next month, the authorities seized a ship transporting 12 cubic metres of mazut and another ship carrying 100 tonnes of coal also without invoices and proper papers. The goods on the ships were estimated to be worth VND160m.

The department has prosecuted 28 cases, and proposed other agencies to prosecute another 42 cases.

They also discovered several arms trafficking cases including 11 shotguns hidden in an amplifier, 47 ammunition boxes in gift boxes and over 96 ounces of gold set to be smuggled to South Korea.

The smuggling of electronic devices and appliances is complicated especially in Hai Phong and Ho Chi Minh City. The customs agencies also intercepted various wild and rare animal trafficking cases include 137.5kg of ivory and products from Angola and 9 tonnes of hawksbill turtle shells transported from Indonesia to Vietnam.

In near future, the General Department of Vietnam Customs will upgrade old equipment while improving co-operation with other agencies and local authorities to share information.