Officers of Coast Guard Intelligence Division No 2 discovered an offshore fishing boat carrying diesel oil of unknown origin in the southwest coastal region of Việt Nam on September 22. — Photo courtesy of Việt Nam Coast Guard

MEKONG DELTA — Officers of Coast Guard Intelligence Division No 2 seized more than 260,000 litres of smuggled diesel oil from two offshore wooden fishing boats in the southwest coastal region of Việt Nam.

Senior Lieutenant Colonel Phan Nhân Hậu, head of the Đồng Nai Province-based Coast Guard Intelligence Division No 2 under the Việt Nam Coast Guard Command, said the unit’s working team discovered the two boats when conducting field reconnaissance.

The working team on September 22 stopped fishing boat TG 91139 TS registered in the Cửu Long (Mekong) Delta province of Tiền Giang and found 120,000 litres of diesel of unknown origin.

The boat’s captain, Nguyễn Văn Cường, 52, of the Mekong Delta province of Kiên Giang, and six crew members were on board.

On the same day, another boat, KG 96097 TS registered in Kiên Giang Province, was caught with 140,000 litres of diesel of unknown origin.

The boat’s captain, Nguyễn Tiến Lực, 55, of Kiên Giang Province, and four crew members were on board.

The two captains failed to furnish documents proving the origin of the fuel.

On September 24, the working team brought the boats ashore and handed over the cases to the Coast Guard Region No 4 Command based on Phú Quốc Island in Kiên Giang Province for further investigation.

Coast Guard Intelligence Division No 2 is tasked with monitoring the sea from Cù Lao Xanh in the central coastal province of Bình Định to Hà Tiên City in the Cửu Long (Mekong) province of Kiên Giang, including the Trường Sa (Spratly) Archipelago.

The division is also assigned to directly detect and combat violations of law, such as national security crimes, smuggling, and trade fraud at sea. — VNS