Police in Thanh Hoa Province announced on July 2 that investigators had dismantled a transnational diamond smuggling ring allegedly operated by foreign nationals, prosecuting 22 suspects and confiscating 1,100 diamonds of various sizes.
According to investigators, the alleged ringleaders are Indian nationals who primarily live and work in Hong Kong, China.
The defendants in the case (Photo: Thanh Hoa Province Police).
Among them, Abhishek Deepak Patel, 32, an Indian national, allegedly managed the syndicate's diamonds and sales proceeds in Vietnam. Trinh Quang Chung, 42, from Dong Nai Province, is accused of collecting diamonds in Hong Kong before smuggling them into Vietnam.
Dang Ngoc Son, 21, from Ho Chi Minh City, allegedly received the diamonds from Chung before arranging their transportation and distribution to buyers in Ho Chi Minh City, An Giang Province and Hanoi.
Tran Thi Hang, 41, also from Ho Chi Minh City, allegedly acted as a major distributor, receiving large quantities of diamonds from Chung before supplying them to smaller dealers and jewellery businesses.
Police searched 20 locations, including jewellery and gemstone businesses as well as the suspects' residences, seizing 1,100 diamonds along with documents, electronic data, transaction records, digital storage devices and other evidence for the investigation.
Evidence seized in the case (Photo: Thanh Hoa Province Police).
Investigators said the network had successfully carried out 141 smuggling operations since 2024, bringing more than 28,000 diamonds from Hong Kong into Vietnam for sale. The ring is estimated to have generated revenue of VND 280 billion (approximately USD 10.7 million).
The Investigation Police Agency under Thanh Hoa Province Police has so far prosecuted 22 suspects for their alleged roles in transporting and trading smuggled diamonds.