Authorities arrest two suspects for transporting 8.75kg of drugs through Mộc Bài Border Gate on March 5. — Photos VGP

HÀ NỘI — Vietnamese customs officers detected and dealt with 8,879 smuggling and trade fraud cases worth more than an estimated VNĐ8 trillion (US$304 million) between October 2025 and March 2026, as authorities moved to tighten controls and expand the use of technology in anti-smuggling efforts.

Violations across multiple routes

The Việt Nam Customs Department said smuggling and trade fraud remain complex, as rising consumer demand continues to drive the circulation of illegal goods from both domestic and foreign sources.

Such goods enter the market through various channels, with increasing abuse of e-commerce platforms, social media and express delivery services for trading counterfeit and untraceable products.

Goods are brought into the market in many forms, including formal imports, small-scale cross-border trade, smuggling and other forms of trade fraud.

The misuse of e-commerce and social media platforms such as Shopee, Lazada, Sendo, Facebook, TikTok, Zalo and YouTube, along with postal and express delivery services, to sell counterfeit products and goods of unknown origin has continued to increase.

In response, the customs force has launched a widespread enforcement campaign under the direction of National Steering Committee 389, with coordinated implementation across the sector.

From October 15, 2025, to March 15, authorities detected 83 cases showing criminal signs and 8,796 administrative violations.

Ten cases were prosecuted, while prosecution was recommended for another 55.

The violations mainly involved the trading and transport of banned goods, counterfeit products and intellectual property infringements. Sea routes accounted for the largest number of cases at 4,956, followed by road routes with 2,569, air routes with 423 and express delivery services with 703.

Merchandise and items found to be in violation included foreign currency, cigarettes, mobile phones, food and gold.

Authorities also uncovered 85 drug-related cases, seizing more than 600kg of narcotics. Inter-agency coordination led to the handling of 356 cases involving 420 suspects.

Customs forces seized 3.6kg of drugs smuggled by air through Nội Bài International Airport using sophisticated concealment methods.

Enhanced control

For the rest of the year, the customs department said it would continue carrying out key tasks to curb smuggling, trade fraud and counterfeit goods.

Units across the sector will implement directives from the Government, the Prime Minister and relevant steering committees, while developing plans tailored to each locality to improve enforcement efficiency.

High-risk business categories like the processing trade, temporary import for re-export, border-gate transfer and transit will be placed under close supervision.

Drug control efforts will also be carried out across all routes and areas.

Relevant information will be handled promptly and kept confidential, while customs forces will continue coordinating with other agencies in major investigations.

Equipment, including container scanners, baggage scanners, surveillance cameras and drug detection devices, will be used more extensively in operational activities. 

Information gathering and analysis will be strengthened to detect violations in a timely manner. Units will focus on high-risk goods such as banned items, counterfeit products and goods infringing on intellectual property rights.

Legal awareness campaigns will also be rolled out in key areas to improve compliance among residents and businesses.

Units have proposed the addition of modern equipment to meet newer control requirements. — VNS