• Cigarette smuggling on the rise in HCMC 

Cigarette smuggling in the city is increasing with instances of smugglers even attacking anti-smuggling forces, the market watchdog in the city has reported.

Over the last six months, market watchdog division 5B in District 5 has seized more than 60,000 packs of smuggled cigarettes and imposed penalties against smugglers in 54 cases.

The division is in charge of the area that hosts the city's largest cigarette trading spot - the eponymous market on Hoc Lac Street- where both certified and illegal cigarettes are frequently transacted.

Head of the market watchdog division 5B, Ngo Van Tung, said smugglers have resorted to violence to resist authorities who confiscate their cigarettes.

Jump to full article »