Hanoi City Police release information on chicken feet smuggling and fraud case involving 1.6 trillion VND.
The Police Investigation Agency has prosecuted hundreds of defendants in connection with a smuggling ring involving over 1,000 tons of contaminated food and an exceptionally large-scale vacation contract fraud case.
The Hanoi City Police recently held a conference to announce the results of investigations into typical economic and environmental cases. At the conference, Lieutenant General Nguyen Thanh Tung, Director of the Hanoi City Police, stated that the unit had focused on combating and dismantling many major cases, especially those involving violations of public health and fraud targeting the elderly.
Authorities dismantled a smuggling ring that confiscated over 1,000 tons of contaminated chicken feet.
The Hanoi City Police Investigation Agency has initiated a criminal case, charged and ordered the temporary detention of Nguyen Thi To Loan (born in 1979, residing in Hoang Mai Ward, Hanoi) and Trang Tuyet Ngoc (born in 1981, residing in Thanh Liet Commune, Hanoi) for the crime of smuggling. Nguyen Thi To Loan is the Director of An Binh Import-Export and Trade Development Joint Stock Company.
According to the investigation results, from 2023 to 2026, ABF Company, run by Loan, imported 339 containers of chicken feet under the guise of processing for re-export, totaling over 1.2 million tons and valued at nearly 350 billion VND. However, instead of exporting, Loan instructed Ngoc to sell over 10,000 tons on the domestic market for consumption.
During inspections of warehouses in Quang Minh Commune, Hanoi City, and Dong Dang Commune, Lang Son Province, authorities discovered over 1,000 tons of chicken feet. Notably, among them were 260 tons of expired, foul-smelling, and moldy chicken feet that were being prepared for market distribution.
Fraud involving 1.6 trillion VND through vacation packages.
Besides environmental crimes, the Hanoi City Police also reported on a fraud case involving the misappropriation of assets through the sale of "holiday travel contracts." The perpetrators established a system of 27 companies, using the tactic of offering free travel vouchers and promising high profits to lure customers.
Lieutenant Colonel Do The Thang, Deputy Head of the Economic Police Department, stated that this is an exceptionally large-scale case, with 25 cases already prosecuted and 201 suspects arrested. Investigators have identified approximately 17,000 related contracts involving a total embezzlement amount exceeding 1.6 trillion VND. The target group mainly consists of elderly people and retirees with accumulated savings but limited ability to verify information.
Sophisticated tactics disguised as civil contracts.
Comrade Nguyen Van Dung, Deputy Director of the Hanoi People's Procuracy, emphasized that the perpetrators exploited the form of brokerage and transfer contracts to conceal their fraudulent activities. The money collected from customers was not used for business but mainly to pay commissions to the consulting team and maintain the fraudulent operation.
Colonel Nguyen Thanh Ha, Deputy Director of the Criminal Police Department, Ministry of Public Security, said that employees of these companies are well-trained from the customer selection stage to building trust through emotions and finances, making it difficult for victims to identify fraudulent behavior from the outset.
Warning and request for coordinated investigation.
Major General Ha Xuan Duy, Deputy Director of the Department of Environmental Crime Prevention and Control, affirmed that economic and environmental crimes are becoming increasingly sophisticated, requiring people to be more vigilant than ever before.
Lieutenant General Nguyen Thanh Tung affirmed the Hanoi City Police's stance of handling the case strictly and fairly, "without any forbidden areas or exceptions." The City Police requested that individuals who participated in transactions with the companies involved in the vacation contract case promptly file a report at their local police station or send it directly to the Criminal Investigation Department of the Hanoi City Police to protect their rights.
Authorities advise people to be cautious about investment offers promising unusual returns and to only use food with clear origins and sources to protect their own health and that of their families.
