Police scanning checked baggage at Cam Ranh Airport uncovers 24 gold bars and 32 iPhones without invoices on December 8. Photo by Khanh Hoa Police Department.
Investigators in Khanh Hoa Province said on December 22 they had charged two suspects over the cross-border smuggling case.
Those charged were Le Thi Thao An, 37, a dual Vietnamese and South Korean national, and Nguyen Thi Ngoc Nghien, 65, from Ca Mau Province.
According to police, the pair arrived on flight VJ839 from Incheon, South Korea, to Cam Ranh Airport on the morning of December 8. While completing transfer procedures for a connecting flight to Hanoi, economic police officers worked with border police to screen their checked luggage.
Officers found 24 yellow metal bars and 32 used iPhones in Nghien’s baggage, none accompanied by invoices or documents proving their origin.
During questioning, both suspects admitted they had been hired to transport the goods for an unidentified woman in return for a fee of more than VND 33 million (about USD 1,255).
Nguyen Thi Ngoc Nghien at the police station. Photo by Khanh Hoa Police Department.
An expert assessment confirmed that all 24 bars were 99 per cent pure gold, weighing a total of 2.3kg.
Police said the investigation is continuing.