Along the borderline in Cao Bang province, smugglers often trafficked items on a small scale across the borderline, which makes it difficult for competent forces to control the smuggling flow. The smuggled goods include tobacco, processed food, consumer goods and household products.
Smugglers take advantage of nighttime and the local rugged mountainous terrain to transport small quantities of tobacco from the foreign country into Vietnam, and then temporarily store the smuggled tobacco in local houses before moving it to other localities.
When being detected, ringleaders often hire local residents to take responsibility for the smuggling so that they can avoid being arrested and prosecuted.
In response, the Cao Bang Provincial Police Department has worked closely with the Border Guard, Customs and Market Management forces to thoroughly grasp the situation, promptly detect and strictly handle all violations.
Since the beginning of 2025, the Cao Bang Provincial Police Force has initiated 58 smuggling cases involving 71 suspects, seizing nearly 93 tons of smuggled tobacco leaves of unknown origin.
In the time ahead, the Cao Bang Provincial Police Department will continue to strengthen coordination with relevant agencies in combating smuggling, while intensifying public communication efforts to raise the local people awareness of observing the law, and stopping aiding or abetting smuggling activities.
