Fight stepped up against illegal trade of petrol at sea

Hanoi (VNA) – Border guards and marine police must step up efforts to crack down on the illegal trade of oil and petrol at sea, Deputy Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc has said.

Phuc, who is also head of the National Steering Board on the Prevention and Control of Smuggling, Trade Fraud and Fake Commodities or Steering Committee 389, requested the involved authorities to increase information exchanges and devise prevention plans in the field.

According to the Ministry of National Defence, the hotspots cover the south-west exclusive economic zone, and the coastal localities of Quang Ninh, Hai Phong, Nghe An, Ba Ria-Vung Tau, Soc Trang, Kien Giang, and international seaports.

The marine police and border guards commenced criminal proceedings against two cases, involving 15 defendants, for allegedly trafficking nearly 650,000 litres of DO oil, from early December 2012 to late September 2015. They also confiscated over 21 million litres of petrol and oil and collected administrative fines of over 270 billion VND (12.15 million USD) to the State budget.

The Ministry of National Defence proposed that the Prime Minister entrust relevant ministries and sectors to promptly promulgate documents guiding the criminal settlement of illegal cross-border trade in goods in accordance with Articles 153 and 154 of the Penal Code.

Meanwhile, the Ministry of Public Security should enact measures against the illegal trade of oil and petrol at home, as well as measures to detect suspicious cases of foreign currency transfers abroad to buy contraband products.

The Ministry of Industry and Trade must regularly examine oil and petrol businesses to detect any violations, while revising normative legal documents to strictly punish traffickers.

The Ministry of Finance should direct taxation agencies to increase investigation and management of bills to prevent oil and petrol of illegal origin from entering the country.

The Steering Committee 389 will direct relevant authorities to equip forces with necessary means to prevent trafficking, while devising policies to honour outstanding individuals and units in the field.

Deputy Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc agreed with the aforesaid proposals of the Ministry of National Defence and asked relevant ministries, agencies and localities to report to him the outcome of implementing these proposals in the second quarter of 2016.-VNA