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In the early months of 2026, the National Steering Committee 389 reported that the situation involving smuggling, trade fraud and counterfeit goods remained complex. Law enforcement agencies have intensified inspections and handling, focusing on prohibited goods including narcotics, explosives, illicit cigarettes and electronic cigarettes.
According to the committee’s results report on anti-smuggling, trade fraud and counterfeit goods, in the first four months of 2026, units and localities arrested and processed 43,970 violations, up 31.99% compared with the same period last year.
The report also stated that state budget revenue collected reached 6,552.729 trillion dong (up 33.80%). Criminal prosecutions totaled 1,464 cases (up 10.24%), with 2,277 defendants (up 11.29%).
The violated goods groups include prohibited items, mainly narcotics, explosives, explosive precursors, foreign cigarettes and electronic cigarettes.
Other goods violations cover minerals, fuels, electronics, home appliances, fabrics, fashion products, clothing, footwear, toys, pharmaceuticals, cosmetics, foods, dietary supplements, wood and wood products, traditional medicine ingredients, fertilizers, pesticides, medical supplies, agricultural inputs, animal feed ingredients, farm products, frozen foods, and household and consumer goods.
Common subjects and methods include transporting, storing and trading prohibited or smuggled goods; goods of unclear origin; counterfeit, substandard and unsafe products for food safety; and intellectual property rights violations involving infringements on trademarks and industrial designs, as well as product quality declarations. The report also cited violations of procedures in business activity and regulated business conditions for certain commodity sectors, along with tax fraud.
Additional violations include breaches of price regulations, failure to advertise prices, or improper price listings; illegal mining and transport of minerals; and manipulation of technical controls to violate standards, measurement and quality.
The report further noted the use of e-commerce, online selling platforms and social networks (including Facebook, Zalo and TikTok) to advertise and trade, as well as mailing, express delivery and other logistics to smuggle, transport illegally and commit trade fraud.
One of the upcoming measures is to accelerate digital transformation and apply information technology in anti-smuggling, trade fraud and counterfeit goods enforcement. The committee also plans to increase connectivity, information sharing and hotline effectiveness, including proposals for UID-based product identification to combat counterfeit products.
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