A customs officer examines the goodswhich areallegedly smuggled pharmaceutical materials at Tien Sa Port in the central city of Da Nang.

The pharmaceutical materials were found in five containers which a company based in the northern province of Hải Dương reported to the customs agency as containing dried apples, carrots, cashews and radish.

The company – Ngoc Son Commercial, Import and Export Company – submitted a customs declaration on June 14 to import fruits and vegetable weighing 103 tonnes from China’s Huangpu Port.

However, when customs officers examined the containers, most of the imported products were dried herbal medicines which are suspected of being pharmaceutical materials.

According to customs authorities, pharmaceutical materials are among goods that must undergo strict procedures before being eligible to enter the country, thus, many companies falsified documents to smuggle the goods. — VNS