Hanoi Police on June 15 announced the dismantling of a large-scale illegal sand mining operation on the Red River and the detention of eight suspects for alleged violations of regulations governing natural resource exploitation.
The detainees (Photo: X.M.).
Investigators identified the alleged ringleader as Dam Van Tuan, 58, a resident of Thien Loc Commune, Hanoi. Seven other suspects from Hop Thinh Commune, Bac Ninh Province, and Trung Gia Commune, Hanoi, were also found to be involved.
According to police, the group took advantage of remote sandbanks and river channels along the Red River, far from residential areas and with little traffic, to conduct illegal mining activities at night.
The operation typically ran from around 7 pm until 4.30 am the following morning in an effort to avoid detection by authorities.
At approximately 12.30 am on May 29, Hanoi police officers caught Tuan and his associates allegedly extracting sand illegally from an alluvial area in Mach Lung Village.
Investigators said that after filling two storage tanks, the group would suspend mining operations for two to three days while selling sand to transport operators before resuming extraction.
Tuan allegedly operated an excavator to load sand for customers and used two bank accounts, one in his name and another belonging to a relative, to receive payments.
Preliminary findings indicate that from early April until the operation was uncovered, the group illegally extracted about 30,000 cubic metres of sand and generated profits of approximately VND 4 billion (USD 154,000).
Authorities also identified more than 2,219 cubic metres of illegally mined sand remaining at the site, with an estimated value of VND 280 million (approximately USD 10,800).
Police said Tuan did not hold a licence for mineral extraction. The sand stockpiling area, a public land parcel covering about 23,000 square metres, had allegedly been occupied and used without authorisation by Tuan since 2014.
The investigation is ongoing.