Posco SS Vina suspected of smuggling

Carton boxes containing auto parts in one suspected container

The Anti-Smuggling and Investigation Department under the General Department of Customs has joined hands with the Customs Department of Goods Verification under the Ba Ria-Vung Tau Customs Department to clarify signs of violations at Posco SS Vina Limited, located in the province’s Phu My 2 Industrial Park.

Earlier, on September 14 Posco SS Vina opened an import declaration at the Cai Mep Port Border Gate Customs Bureau.

Accordingly, the company had declared importing steel scraps meeting Vietnamese standards and weighing more than 122.6 tonnes distributed in five containers. The shipments were transported from Melbourne Port in Australia to Vietnam.

The products were bought from a company named Stamcorp International Pte., Ltd. headquartered in Singapore.

After checking, customs officers detected that besides scraps, three out of the five containers contained boxes of brand-new goods suspected of being automobile components.

Later on September 26, Posco SS Vina opened another import declaration to import scraps from the same company.

The batch consisted of 10 containers weighing more than 240 tonnes and was shipped from Melbourne Port in Australia to Vietnam on September 25.

After checking, customs officers detected that besides scraps one out of the 10 containers contained several packed boxes placed on one end of the container that held brand new screws.

In this situation, the Anti-Smuggling and Investigation Department has asked the Ba Ria-Vung Tau Customs Department to order the Cai Mep Port Border Gate Customs Bureau to keep a close eye on the batches of goods, clearly define the suspected goods, their volume, quality, and estimated value, as well as keep tabs on all remaining containers still sitting at the port that belong to Posco SS Vina.

According to the final results of the checks, inside the four aforementioned suspected containers are different carton boxes containing various kinds of brand-new auto components, such as screws and disc brakes, as well as the related guide instructions.

As some carton boxes were broken, their contents have been gathered and are kept in the container they were found in. The investigation is still ongoing.