Police said on September 23 that 10 suspects had been charged with producing or trading counterfeit goods.
The investigation began after economic police inspected a warehouse in Hoa Loi Ward on August 4 and found gas being transferred from a tanker into storage tanks and cylinders without the required permits and safety conditions.
Officers found large numbers of used cylinders bearing brands including Onic, Pacific, VT-Gas, Petro Vietnam, Sopet, V-Gas, City Petro, H-Gas and Thu Duc Gas, along with about 18 tonnes of gas in a tanker and equipment used for refilling.
Investigators said the group bought gas from unidentified or undocumented sources before illegally transferring it into used 6-kg, 12-kg and 45-kg cylinders carrying the brands of legitimate gas companies.
The cylinders were then distributed through dealers or sold directly to consumers. Police said some dealers bought the gas at below official supply prices despite lacking invoices or documents showing its origin.
Police said the ring produced and sold more than 500 tonnes of fake gas, equivalent to about 42,000 12-kg cylinders, worth an estimated VND 18.6 billion (USD 710,000).
