Nghe An: Cutting off drug trafficking ring by air

(Baonghean.vn) - Project 616M was established to combat and eradicate a drug trafficking ring formed by experienced women with a "reputation" in the drug crime world. They boldly bought drugs from China, gathered them in Hanoi, then brought them to the southern provinces for consumption, mainly by air.

Born and raised in a family with a "tradition" of drug trafficking, Tran Thi Tam (born in 1973), who was known as the most beautiful girl in Vinh city, quickly "joined" her mother and brother in participating in illegal drug trafficking lines across Vietnam. As a result, her mother, daughter and brother were imprisoned one after another. After Tam was pardoned from the death penalty, reduced to life imprisonment, with 20 years of good behavior, in 2014, Tam was also pardoned and released from prison early. It was thought that Tam would repent and work hard to make a living, but unexpectedly she continued to return to her "old ways".

In the early days of 2016, through professional measures, detectives of the Drug Crime Investigation Team of Vinh City Police discovered that Tran Thi Tam had suspicious signs related to major drug rings. Tam often went to Hanoi to visit former inmates in the same camp and cell, then went to the Southern provinces as if it were a daily meal. Through investigation and verification, Tam was one of the important "links" in the transnational drug trafficking ring with many subjects from the North to the South participating.

Two bosses, two sworn sisters Tran Thi Tam (born 1973) andDinh Thi Tuyet Minh (born 1967)

Under the direction of the Chief of the Criminal Police Department of Nghe An Province, a special project coded 616M to combat and eradicate the drug trafficking ring was established. After more than 6 months of pursuit, detectives and investigators of Vinh City Police found that during her sentence, Tam met a drug "kingpin" in Hanoi named Dinh Thi Tuyet Minh (born in 1967), residing in Phuong Mai Ward, Dong Da District, Hanoi. Minh is also considered a "big shot" in the drug crime world. In 1997, the Hanoi People's Court sentenced Minh to 15 years in prison for illegal drug trafficking. During his sentence, Minh shared a cell with Tam. In 2013, Minh completed his sentence and returned to his hometown. Since then, the two prisoners have often "caught the wave" and colluded with each other, forming a transnational drug trafficking and transportation ring.

During her stay in Vinh City, Tam’s biological mother adopted Minh as her “adopted daughter” and Tam treated Minh as her own sister. Their relationship grew stronger, and Tam and Minh often visited each other and discussed drug trafficking. To extend their “octopus” tentacles into the Southern and Central Highlands provinces and support their “business”, Tam and Minh “recruited” Hoang Thi Ngoan (born in 1959), residing in Phu Dong Commune, Gia Lam District, Hanoi, to join them in buying and selling illegal goods. Ngoan had spent a long time working abroad and had been through 4 husbands, but for some reason, each husband only lived with her for more than a year before they broke up.

After a period of working as a “wooden leg” for the two “bosses”, seeing the large income, Ngoan persuaded his younger brother, Hoang Mau Tuan (born in 1967), who was working as a household electrician, to join. Tuan was tasked with helping Minh go to China to get the “goods” and transport them to Vinh to deliver to Tam.

To "catch" a large drug trafficking ring, a reconnaissance team of 4 comrades in the Special Task Force was assigned to Hanoi and some northern border provinces to monitor the movements of the "bosses". During the undercover surveillance, the reconnaissance team discovered that Ngoan and Tuan often went directly to China illegally to buy drugs, then brought them back to Hanoi to deliver to Minh. Minh was tasked with transporting the "goods" to Tran Thi Tam so that Tam could take them to Ho Chi Minh City and the Central Highlands provinces for consumption.

2 biological sisters Hoang Thi Ngoan (Born in 1959) residing in Phu Dong commune, Gia Lam district, Hanoi cityand Hoang Mau Tuan

To avoid detection by the authorities, the subjects used slang each time they communicated. When transporting "goods" from China to Hanoi, they often used motorbike taxis or taxis, and when transporting to Vinh City, the subjects often traveled by air. The subjects' areas "covered" all over the North and South, with a small force, the investigation and monitoring of the subjects for the detectives encountered many difficulties. However, with determination and the spirit of solving the case quickly, not letting the subjects react, be reckless and impulsive, the Task Force agreed on a plan to set up nets to catch "floating fish".

On the morning of June 18, the Task Force received information from a source that a very violent drug exchange would take place in Vinh City, the delivery location was expected to take place in one of four locations in Vinh City and neighboring districts, the source of drugs was transported by air by Dinh Thi Tuyet Minh, on the flight from Hanoi to Vinh on June 20.

That very night, Lieutenant Colonel Nguyen Huu Cuong, Deputy Chief of Vinh City Police, Deputy Chief of the City Police Investigation Agency, held a quick meeting and arranged 5 working groups to arrest the transnational drug trafficking group. The most reckless situations that could happen to the subjects were also given by the Task Force. Accordingly, one working group quickly set out to intercept the subjects from Thanh Hoa if they used road vehicles to travel. The second group blocked the Vinh City bypass. The third group was stationed at the Dien Chau town intersection, the fourth group was stationed at Vinh International Airport and the last group was deployed at the house of subject Tam in Cua Nam ward, Vinh City.

The task force to “welcome” the special guest at Vinh airport was reinforced with 2 experienced scouts. As planned, around noon on June 20, the Hanoi - Vinh flight landed at Vinh airport. However, through monitoring, there were 5 female passengers with characteristics similar to the report. Especially due to the hot weather, when stepping out of the plane to catch a taxi, the ladies often wore sun-protective shirts with hoods covering their heads, and dark glasses, making it not easy to identify who was Dinh Thi Tuyet Minh.

However, by professional measures, at about 10:55 a.m. on June 20, a reconnaissance team led by Lieutenant Colonel Cao Thanh Sam, captain of the Drug Crime Investigation Team of Vinh City Police, discovered Minh appearing at Tam's house in Cua Nam Ward, Vinh City in a taxi. Minh, wearing sunglasses, holding a leather bag in his hand, got out of the car, looked around and saw that it was safe, then quickly entered Tam's house.

The car Hoang Mau Tuan used when he was arrestedon the act of buying, selling and illegally transporting drugs.

Here, after a few polite words, Tam gave Minh a lump sum of money, but Minh had not yet delivered the "goods" and then Minh and Tam quickly left the house on a motorbike. Through surveillance, the detectives discovered that Tam drove the car towards Vinh market while Minh went up to Hung Nguyen district. At the same time, a detective team discovered that two biological sisters, Hoang Thi Ngoan and Hoang Mau Tuan, drove a 4-seat car with license plate 29A 26151 from Hanoi and were already in Vinh city. Then Tuan drove the car to Cau Duoc market, at the same time Minh arrived on a motorbike.

Minh and Tuan met at a fruit stand, spoke to each other just enough to hear and then parted ways. Tuan drove Ngoan to another location to wait. When she saw Minh appear, Hoang Thi Ngoan opened the door, looked around and saw that it was safe, then got out of the car, carrying a handbag, and walked back to where Minh was standing, while Tuan drove the car away. The transfer of drugs from Ngoan to Minh happened so quickly that the detectives couldn't react in time.

However, when Minh parked his motorbike at the market and leisurely walked with Ngoan to Tam's house, determining that Minh had "goods" in his bag, receiving a signal from Lieutenant Colonel Nguyen Huu Cuong, Deputy Chief of Vinh City Police who directly directed the case, a reconnaissance team promptly rushed out to control and arrest Minh and Ngoan, seizing 1.4 kg of crystal meth hidden in their luggage and 400 million VND. Immediately after that, another task force arrested Hoang Mau Tuan while he was sitting in a car; a third task force was present at Tran Thi Tam's house in Block 11, Cua Nam Ward, Vinh City to execute an emergency search warrant for the act of buying, selling, and illegally transporting drugs.

Huu Trong