2,500 packs of smuggled cigarettes disguised as 'Covid-19 prevention goods'

On the afternoon of December 24, the Nghi Loc District Police Investigation Agency announced that the unit had just dismantled a drug trafficking and transportation ring.smuggled cigarettesin large quantities.

Previously, at the end of November 2021, through the work of grasping the local situation, Nghi Loc District Police discovered a ring smuggling cigarettes in large quantities from the northern provinces into Nghe An, including Nghi Loc district for consumption.

Subjects Le Thi Huyen and Nguyen Hong Son (middle) with evidence at the Investigation Police Agency of Nghi Loc District Police. Photo: Nhat Tuan

The subjects operate very sophisticatedly and professionally, mainly using social networks such as Zalo, Facebook ... to conduct buying and selling transactions. After completing the money transfer transactions through different bank accounts, the subjects mainly send the smuggled cigarettes by passenger vans without following the "goods". The "goods" sent are sealed by the subjects and labeled "Covid-19 epidemic prevention goods" on the boxes.

The detectives discovered that two subjects, Le Thi Huyen (born 2002), residing in Hamlet 8, Nghi Van Commune, Nghi Loc District, and Nguyen Hong Son (born 1998), residing in Hamlet Nam Ke Gai, Hung Tay Commune, Hung Nguyen District, directly purchased large quantities of smuggled cigarettes from subjects in the northern provinces and then consumed them throughout Nghe An Province.

Grasping that situation, Nghi Loc District Police established a project to buy and sell smuggled cigarettes to fight.

After a period of persistently studying the subjects' operating patterns and applying a combination of professional measures, at around 6:00 p.m. on December 23, in the Vinh City bypass area (in hamlet 9, Nghi Van commune), the Criminal - Economic - Drug Crime Investigation Police Team (Nghi Loc District Police) successfully broke the case.

Initially, the authorities arrested the two subjects Le Thi Huyen and Nguyen Hong Son mentioned above for buying, selling and transporting smuggled cigarettes when they had just received the "goods" from the passenger bus.

Evidence seized on the spot included: 4 cardboard boxes containing 2,500 packs of 555 cigarettes manufactured abroad without invoices or documents proving their origin; 2 motorbikes; 2 phones and 10 million VND in cash.

Currently, Nghi Loc District Police are continuing to expand the investigation./.