Deputy PM, Nguyen Thien Nhan, asked relevant agencies to investigate recent reports on the rampant smuggling of sturgeon into Vietnam.
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| Metro Supermarket accused of selling smuggled sturgeon |
The request was made to the Ministry of Public Security's Environmental Crime Prevention and Fighting Police Department.
On July 7, the Cold Water Fish Association raised warnings over the huge amount of smuggled sturgeon in markets in Hanoi, saying that it was a threat to local businesses. They also said many supermarkets sell smuggled fish.
The affiliates of sturgeon companies said about 3-5 tonnes of sturgeon of unknown origin is imported to HCM City by air daily.
Le Anh Duc, Chairman of Vietnam Sturgeon Group, even advised people to stop eating sturgeon for the time being, "There is no sturgeon in the north raised in the Central Highlands. I'm sure most of those sturgeon have been smuggled."
After July 8, when Duc accused Metro Supermarket in Hanoi of selling sturgeon smuggled from China, the Market Surveillance Agency quickly conducted an inspection.
The agency has not released any information because the investigation is ongoing.
However Metro claims to have produced certain documents on July 10 which validate the origins of their products. They claimed to have provided all required papers, including the ones related to their supplier, Phuong Bac Sturgeon JSC.
However, Phuong Bac Sturgeon Company denied these claims, saying they have not provided fish to Metro recently. "We supplied fish to Metro in 2010 and 2011. We haven't sold any sturgeon to them since then."
