The Việt Nam Coast Guard officers discovered a fishing vessel carrying 230,000 litres of smuggled diesel off the southern coast on December 26. — Photo courtesy of the Việt Nam Coast Guard

HCM CITY — The Việt Nam Coast Guard has seized 40,000 litres of contraband diesel from a fishing boat off the country’s southwestern waters.

The Coast Guard Region No. 3 Command under the Việt Nam Coast Guard on December 30 said it is focusing on its fight against crime, including drug prevention, human trafficking, smuggling, trade fraud and counterfeit goods in the last months of the year ahead of the upcoming Tết (Lunar New Year) holiday.

The unit, in collaboration with Team 3 Anti-smuggling Investigation Sub-department under the General Department of Việt Nam Customs, discovered the fishing boat BV-99889 TS at 7:20am on December 26 during a routine patrol and inspection mission in southern waters.

The officers boarded the boat and found about 230,000 litres of oil of unknown origin.

On board were its captain, Lê Minh Châu, 47, of An Giang Province and seven crew members.

Châu failed to furnish documents to prove the origin of the oil, and none of the crew had the certification required to be a sailor.

The boat was brought ashore, and handed over to Squadron 301 of the Coast Guard Region No. 3 Command in HCM City’s Phước Thắng Ward for further investigation.

The Coast Guard Region No. 3 Command under the Việt Nam Coast Guard is tasked with managing waters from the Tây Nguyên (Central Highlands) province of Gia Lai (former Bình Định Province) to the Cửu Long (Mekong) Delta province of Vĩnh Long Province (former Trà Vinh Province), including the waters of Trường Sa (Spratly) Islands and DK1 rigs.

It has stepped up efforts to combat smuggling, drug crimes, human trafficking, trade fraud and counterfeit goods ahead of Tết (Lunar New Year) holiday.

The unit has completed its task of protecting the nation's sovereignty and enforcing the law at sea over the past years.

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