Unveiling the Shocking Truth: Over 15,500 Counterfeit and Smuggled Goods Cases Exposed in Just 9 Months

The National Steering Committee 389’s Standing Office recently collaborated with the Ministry of Industry and Trade’s Steering Committee 389 to address the ongoing battle against smuggling, trade fraud, and counterfeit goods in the current landscape.

According to the Ministry of Industry and Trade’s Steering Committee 389, the first nine months of this year have seen a complex and evolving situation regarding smuggling, trade fraud, and counterfeit goods across the country. Violators have exploited land borders, ports, maritime routes, and air transport to smuggle prohibited and illegal goods.

The most commonly violated goods include petroleum, gold, alcohol, beer, cigarettes, sugar, cosmetics, dietary supplements, apparel, electronics, and household appliances. Notably, the surge in e-commerce has led to a significant increase in the sale of counterfeit, imitation, and intellectual property-infringing products online. These activities are conducted on a large scale with increasingly sophisticated methods, causing substantial losses to businesses and posing significant risks to consumers.

Over the past nine months, market management forces and functional units under the Ministry of Industry and Trade conducted 17,746 inspections, uncovering and handling 15,544 violations. This resulted in nearly 216 billion VND in revenue collection, including over 191 billion VND in administrative fines and nearly 211 billion VND in the value of seized goods.

Significantly, 133 cases with criminal indications were transferred to investigative agencies for further processing. During the peak period from May 15 to June 15, the Ministry of Industry and Trade handled 4,052 violations, imposing fines of nearly 63 billion VND. Additionally, 44,446 products were removed, and 12,414 online stores with suspicious activities were blocked, helping restore order and discipline in online business operations.

Mr. Trần Hữu Linh, Director of the Domestic Market Management and Development Department, stated that moving forward, members of the Ministry of Industry and Trade’s Steering Committee 389 and market management forces will focus on inspecting key areas and goods, particularly those sold through e-commerce platforms. They will also enhance inter-agency coordination to improve the effectiveness of combating smuggling, trade fraud, and counterfeit goods.

Mr. Trần Đức Đông, Deputy Chief of the National Steering Committee 389’s Standing Office, urged the Ministry of Industry and Trade’s Steering Committee 389 to continue advising competent authorities in directing functional forces to proactively monitor the situation, identify critical and complex issues related to smuggling, trade fraud, and counterfeit goods. He also emphasized the importance of collaborating in building specialized databases and sharing data to collectively prevent and combat these illegal activities.