A gold shop owner in Ho Chi Minh City smuggled 1,661 kg of gold, worth more than 2,000 billion VND and benefited more than 1.5 billion VND. To date, this defendant has recovered 100 million VND.
The tycoon’s testimony: “No one who does business with me knows my face”
Recently, along with gold price records, a number of gold smuggling cases discovered by the authorities also set new records, breaking previous records, including a case of smuggling tons of gold.
According to VTV, the subjects made a big profit from the difference in domestic and world gold prices, especially at times when the difference was up to nearly 20 million VND per tael. Because of the super attractive profits, many people have led their families and relatives into the path of legal action.
The truck carries cold ice, but not to sell the ice, in a “secret” compartment on the vehicle filled with gold and USD. At Chang Riec border gate in Tay Ninh, every day, around 4:00 a.m., subjects transport smuggled gold from Cambodia to Vietnam, and at 4:00 p.m., they will transfer USD money from Vietnam back to Cambodia.
“The officers checked but couldn’t see it because the rocks were on top,” admitted a defendant in the gold smuggling ring.
Evidence the authorities collected in the smuggling case of more than 6 tons of gold. Photo: Online Customs
Specifically, regarding the above case, the Supreme People’s Procuracy issued an indictment, prosecuting defendant Nguyen Thi Minh Phung (43 years old, from Binh Dinh) and 23 accomplices for the crime of Smuggling.
From the beginning of 2022, taking advantage of the market’s need to consume gold bars and raw gold and seeing that domestic gold prices are higher than Cambodia’s, Nguyen Thi Minh Phung (free gold business in Ho Chi Minh City) and Nguyen Thi Thuy Hang (owner) Kim Oanh Hang gold store in Tay Ninh) connected with Nguyen Thi Ngoc Giau (a border resident living in the Chang Riec border gate area, Tay Ninh) to establish, organize and operate 2 gold smuggling lines. from Cambodia to Vietnam, through Chang Riec border gate.
The above amount of gold was resold by the subjects to domestic customers to gain illegal profits.
In particular, a smuggling ring led by Nguyen Thi Minh Phung, linked with Giau, had 20 participants, smuggling 4,830kg of gold bars, worth more than 6,600 billion VND.
The second line, led by Nguyen Thi Kim Phuong (Giau’s sister), smuggled 1,320kg of gold bars, worth more than 1,800 billion VND.
Authorities determined that Phuong benefited 132,000 USD, equivalent to more than 3 billion VND, and Rich benefited more than 3.7 billion VND, Dan Tri newspaper reported the content stated in the indictment.
“None of the people who do business with me know me, and I have never been to anyone’s house. I only contacted this woman. When she bought it, I told my people to deliver it. The first time I delivered it, I took the money.” “Okay, next time you get used to it, just say your name and someone will deliver it to you,” VTV quoted the testimony of defendant Nguyen Thi Minh Phung.
The allegation is that Nguyen Thi Minh Phung’s entire network illegally earned more than 17 billion VND, of which Phung benefited more than 2.4 billion VND.
The gold shop owner bought more than 2,000 billion VND in goods, benefiting 1.5 billion VND
After entering Vietnam’s interior, consuming smuggled gold is as easy as transporting it across the border. Just one gold shop alone shows how large the amount of smuggled gold is bought and sold.
Among the defendants in the 6-ton gold smuggling case, many are owners of gold businesses in Ho Chi Minh City, Hanoi and some provinces.
Notably, defendant Huynh Minh Khanh – owner of Khanh Kim Loan gold shop, this shop was determined not to be allowed to trade gold bars, gold bars, or raw gold. However, in order to have a source of 9999 gold bars to sell to customers at cheaper prices domestically, Huynh Minh Khanh agreed to buy smuggled gold from tycoon Nguyen Thi Minh Phung.
Lao Dong Newspaper cited information according to investigation results showing that, from August 3, 2022 to September 28, 2022, Khanh bought 560 kg of smuggled gold from Phung, worth more than 761 billion VND. From July 15, 2022 to September 27, 2022, Khanh bought from defendant Nguyen Thi Thuy Hang 1,100 kg of gold bars, worth more than 1,289 billion VND.
In total, defendant Khanh smuggled 1,661 kg of gold, worth more than 2,000 billion VND and benefited more than 1.5 billion VND. The defendant admitted his actions and voluntarily paid 100 million VND.
Talking about gold business, VTV quoted the testimony of defendant Huynh Minh Khanh, owner of Khanh Minh Loan gold shop, District 6, Ho Chi Minh City: “Some days he sells about 1 – 2kg, some days he sells a dozen kilos, depending on the situation. can be calculated”.
According to the Ministry of Public Security, this is a very large smuggling ring, going on for a long time, involving many subjects, in many provinces and cities with the trick of establishing a closed network, purchasing and collecting foreign currency ( USD) from Vietnam transferred to Cambodia to buy gold to bring back to Vietnam for consumption.
