The Thanh Hoa Provincial Police on June 10 announced criminal proceedings and the detention of six suspects on charges of smuggling.
The suspects were identified as Ho Thi Mai Thanh, born in 1980, from Ho Chi Minh City; Huynh Dai Phu, born in 2000, from Tay Ninh Province; Bui Nguyen Yen Nhi, born in 1990; Nguyen Thi Thao, born in 1984; Doan Thoai Xuan Tuong, born in 1991, all from Dong Nai Province; and Nguyen Thi Huong, born in 1980, from Thanh Hoa Province.
The suspects in the case (Photo: Thanh Hoa Police).
According to preliminary findings, the group allegedly took advantage of a sharp rise in domestic gold prices and the widening gap between Vietnamese and international gold prices to organise the smuggling of gold bars from Cambodia into Vietnam for profit.
Investigators said the operation employed sophisticated and highly organised methods. Once the gold entered Vietnam, it was allegedly divided into smaller quantities, disguised through various transactions and quickly sold on the domestic market, making it more difficult for authorities to trace evidence and establish criminal responsibility.
Evidence seized in the case (Photo: Thanh Hoa Police).
Police described the case as a particularly large-scale smuggling operation with an exceptionally serious nature, spanning multiple localities, including Tay Ninh Province, Ho Chi Minh City, Dong Nai Province and Thanh Hoa Province.
The suspects reportedly maintained a high level of operational security, communicating only through messaging platforms such as Telegram, Viber, WhatsApp and Zalo. Transactions were allegedly conducted exclusively in cash, with no bank transfers used in an effort to avoid detection.
Investigators estimate that the network smuggled approximately 200kg of gold bars from Cambodia into Vietnam, with a total value of nearly VND 1 trillion (approximately USD 38.4 million). Authorities have seized more than 8kg of gold along with other evidence linked to the case.
