Nghe An: Eliminated online gambling ring worth billions of dong per day

On May 6, Lieutenant Colonel Tran Ngoc Tuan - Chief of Thai Hoa Town Police said that the Thai Hoa Town Police Investigation Agency had just successfully broken up Project 108D, eliminating an online gambling ring via the internet.

Since mid-September 2018, Thai Hoa Town Police discovered that a number of online games were appearing in the area, mainly online card games with rewards from virtual money to real money and vice versa, attracting a lot of players.

The subjects were arrested and prosecuted. Photo: PB

Thai Hoa Town Police determined that the nature of this game is an online casino for gamblers to gamble with each other. The game application that the subjects play the most is "No hu". This is an online card game application, inside there are many games simulating forms of gambling such as Tai xiu, Slots, Poker...

After winning or losing, gamblers can convert “explosions” into real money by selling them to agents. To attract gamblers to deposit money to play, the subjects in the ring set up a multi-level agent system nationwide, transactions are carried out in cash or through banks.

Determined to completely eradicate this gambling ring, Thai Hoa Town Police established a special project codenamed 108D to fight it.

After verification, the police identified the second-level agent who transacted with the gamblers as Phan Duc Ha (born in 1974, residing in Quang Thinh block, Quang Tien ward, Thai Hoa town).

Tracing Phan Duc Ha's social relationships, the authorities discovered that Le Thinh Vuong (born in 1988, residing in block 250, Quang Tien ward, Thai Hoa town), was a level 2 agent in Thai Hoa and Nghia Dan areas; Truong Van Anh Dung (born in 2000, with permanent residence in Thai Hoa town), but temporarily residing in Vinh city, was a level 2 agent in Vinh city.

The task force applied many measures, monitored movements, focused on verifying information related to the subjects and identified the level 1 agent in Nghe An and Ha Tinh provinces as Le Hong Thoa (born in 1989, residing at 59 Nguyen Nang Tinh Street, Ha Huy Tap Ward, Vinh City).

Evidence seized by the police. Photo: PB

One day at the end of April 2019, the Task Force divided into 4 working groups and simultaneously successfully arrested Phan Duc Ha, Le Thinh Vuong, Truong Van Anh Dung and Le Hong Thoa.

Through fighting with the subjects and expanding the project, the Project Board arrested another subject who is a level 2 agent in Quang Binh province, Ngo Thai Duong (born 2000, residing in Nam Trach commune, Bo Trach district, Quang Binh).

As a result of the initial investigation, the Thai Hoa Town Police Department arrested and prosecuted the case, prosecuting 8 subjects including Le Hong Thoa, Phan Duc Ha, Ngo Thai Duong, Truong Van Anh Dung, and Le Thinh Vuong, who organized the gambling. 3 subjects participating in the gambling, including Nguyen Van Phuong, Ho Dang Khoa, and Phan Thanh Hung, were also prosecuted.

In addition, the Investigation Committee also verified and summoned 21 other subjects who regularly participated in gambling through Thoa's agents in Thai Hoa town and Nghia Dan district.

Verifying at the banks with Phan Duc Ha's account name, the police agency determined the identity, address, and phone number of nearly 100 accounts nationwide participating in money transfer transactions for gambling, with the minimum amount of each account being 5 million VND. On average, about 100 transactions were made each day, and at the time of discovery, the amount of money that the subjects gambled was about 10 billion VND.

In addition to Le Hong Thoa, in many other provinces and cities across the country, there are about 23 level 1 agents operating openly, so the Task Force decided to fight and expand. Thereby, they arrested Tran Le Dinh (born in 1993, residing in Viet Quang town, Bac Quang district, Ha Giang), a level 2 agent of Le Hong Thoa operating in Ha Giang province.

Along with that, 4 other subjects residing in Nghe An and Ha Giang provinces were also arrested for participating in gambling through Le Hong Thoa's agent.

The case is under further investigation.