Smuggled tobacco be auctioned
Vietnam will pilot auctioning tobacco seized while being smuggled into the country according to a new instruction by PM Nguyen Xuan Phuc.
The pilot programme will be carried out for a year by the ministries of finance and industry and trade.
According to the Ministry of Industry and Trade, the fight against illegal tobacco imports has got significant results since the government started supporting finance to destroy the seized products.
A statistic from the ministry showed that the amount of seized tobacco sharply decreased to 700 million packets in 2015, a 30% fall against 2014.
1.055 trillion cigarette packets were seized in 2012, but this number fell to 990 million by 2014, which was equivalent to 20% of the total tobacco consumption in Vietnam.
Tobacco smuggling is often seen in several southern border provinces of Dong Thap, Kien Giang, Long An and Tay Ninh.
According to southern border province agencies, profits from cigarette smuggling stood just behind drugs, so the lucrative trade continued.
Vo Thien Ngo, Vice Director of Long An Market Management Branch said the transportation, storage and trading of smuggled cigarettes in the province of Long An continues unabated. Smuggling activities continue using motorcycles, motorboats and high-speed cars to transport large shipments.
Police seized a large number of cigarette packs
Good quality seized tobacco will be auctioned to sell in the country or re-exported, while fake or substandard products will be destroyed, the instruction said.The pilot programme will be carried out for a year by the ministries of finance and industry and trade.
According to the Ministry of Industry and Trade, the fight against illegal tobacco imports has got significant results since the government started supporting finance to destroy the seized products.
A statistic from the ministry showed that the amount of seized tobacco sharply decreased to 700 million packets in 2015, a 30% fall against 2014.
1.055 trillion cigarette packets were seized in 2012, but this number fell to 990 million by 2014, which was equivalent to 20% of the total tobacco consumption in Vietnam.
Tobacco smuggling is often seen in several southern border provinces of Dong Thap, Kien Giang, Long An and Tay Ninh.
According to southern border province agencies, profits from cigarette smuggling stood just behind drugs, so the lucrative trade continued.
Vo Thien Ngo, Vice Director of Long An Market Management Branch said the transportation, storage and trading of smuggled cigarettes in the province of Long An continues unabated. Smuggling activities continue using motorcycles, motorboats and high-speed cars to transport large shipments.
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