Competent authorities in Vietnam have solved hundreds of thousands of cases of smuggling, producing and trading counterfeit goods in the first ten months of 2015.

The figure was revealed by the standing office of the national steering committee on combating smuggling, commercial fraud and counterfeiting (the 389 National Steering Committee) at a press conference on Wednesday.

The 389 National Steering Committee was established in accordance with the prime minister’s decision 389/QD-TTg on March 19, 2014 to fight smuggling, commercial fraud and the production and trading of fake goods which had been on the rise to the detriment of the state budget as well as people’s health.

There were a total of 170,000 cases of smuggling and fraud using sophisticated methods in the first ten months of 2015, the committee said, adding that several involved large shipments weighing hundreds of metric tons at a cost of hundreds of millions of dollars.

A large-scale international wildlife smuggling ring was busted by police officers in the third quarter of 2015, said Nguyen Van Can, head of the 389 National Steering Committee.

The company responsible attempted to import approximately four metric tons of pangolin scales, 3.8 metric tons of ivories and 142kg of rhino horns at Tien Sa Port in the central city of Da Nang by filing false documents declaring the goods to wood and plastic beads, the committee’s leader elaborated.

The case is still under investigation, Can added.

Vietnamese customs officers found a shipment containing illegally imported goods including used bicycles, motorbikes, air-conditioners and washing machines, with an estimated value of VND100 billion (US$4.46 million) after conducting an inspection of 204 overdue shipping containers in Ho Chi Minh City, Can said.

He added that many have attempted to sneak goods prohibited by the government into Vietnam by taking advantage of loopholes in administrative reforms.

Authorities have also discovered and confiscated up to ten metric tons of cosmetics with deceptive labels and of dubious quality in Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City, the 389 National Steering Committee reported.

“The Vietnam General Department of Police has been working with relevant authorities to carry out inspections at several warehouses in Binh Chanh District, Ho Chi Minh City and has found several products that are banned by the Vietnamese government,” Can said.