Nghe An police dismantle gambling and money laundering ring worth millions of USD.

This is the opening achievement in a high-intensity campaign to combat and prosecute gambling and football betting crimes during the 2026 World Cup (from June 11th to July 19th, 2026), in accordance with the directives of the Ministry of Public Security and the Provincial Police.

Through intelligence gathering, the Criminal Police Department discovered a large number of gamblers in Nghe An and many other localities nationwide participating in online gambling in the form of dice games, casino games, card games, football betting, etc., through the Sunwin website.

The verification process faced numerous obstacles because the suspects operated entirely online, using the secure Telegram application to manage their operations and constantly changing transaction accounts. Their bank account system was organized into multiple layers of intermediaries to ultimately convert gambling funds into USDT cryptocurrency, aiming to erase all traces of the crime.

Recognizing the sophisticated, inter-provincial nature of the network, the Criminal Police Department reported to the provincial police leadership to establish a special task force to combat it.

From May 25th to June 5th, 2026, the Criminal Police Department of Nghe An Provincial Police, in coordination with the Criminal Police Department (Ministry of Public Security), local police forces in Nghe An province, Ho Chi Minh City, and the police forces of Thanh Hoa, Ha Tinh, Vinh Long, Dong Nai, Dong Thap, and Gia Lai provinces, simultaneously deployed 20 task forces to conduct raids. Authorities arrested, searched, and seized evidence from 18 individuals for "money laundering" and 9 individuals for "gambling." The seized evidence included 27 mobile phones and 6 computer sets.

The investigating agency clarified that the ringleader of the money laundering operation and administrator of the Sunwin website was Nguyen Van Tuan (born in 1988), residing in Chanh Phu Hoa ward, Ben Cat city, Binh Duong province (operating in Ho Chi Minh City). Tuan directed Le Quoc Huy (born in 1989), residing in Tan Thuan Tay ward, District 7, Ho Chi Minh City, and other accomplices to collect money, buy cryptocurrency (USDT) on exchanges, and then transfer it to e-wallets provided by Tuan.

Initial findings indicate that, from May 2025 to May 2026 alone, the total amount of illicit foreign currency trafficked and legitimized by these individuals through the banking system and cryptocurrencies reached US$2,896,740, equivalent to over VND 75 billion.

Currently, the Investigation Police Department of Nghe An province has issued a decision to initiate criminal proceedings, indict and order the temporary detention of 18 defendants for the crime of "Money laundering" and 9 defendants for the crime of "Gambling," while continuing to expand the investigation into the case.

The Nghe An Provincial Police are advising citizens to absolutely refrain from participating in football betting and online gambling in any form to avoid legal consequences and significant financial risks. In the coming period, the police force will continue to take decisive action and strictly punish violators. Upon discovering any betting activity, citizens should proactively report it immediately to the authorities.