Police bust gambling ring operating under the guise of a coffee shop.

(Baonghean.vn) - After the case was initiated and the defendants were charged with gambling at the Giọt Đắng coffee shop, the owner of the coffee shop surrendered to the Thai Hoa Town Police regarding the gambling activity.

The Giọt Đắng coffee shop in Hung Phu hamlet, Tay Hieu commune, Thai Hoa town, consists of about 5 wooden huts with thatched roofs, hidden deep within the residential area, surrounded by a brick wall, and is owned by Nguyen Thi Hien (born in 1971).

Taking advantage of this, some notorious gamblers often come here to gamble and are lent money by the owner if needed, at interest. This information has been put under surveillance by the Thai Hoa Town Police.

The suspects have been arrested. Photo: Trung Duc.

In early May 2017, through investigative measures, detectives from the General Investigation Team of the Thai Hoa Town Police Department identified the individuals who frequently visited the Giot Dang coffee shop to gamble all night long. These individuals were mainly residents of Nghia Tien and Tay Hieu communes (Thai Hoa Town). Notably, among these gamblers was Ha Van Nam (40 years old), residing in Hung Xuan hamlet, Tay Hieu commune, who had a prior conviction for gambling.

Having received information on the evening of May 5th that Ha Van Nam and other gamblers from several neighboring communes would be gathering at the Giot Dang coffee shop to gamble using the card game "lieng," detectives from the General Investigation Team of the Thai Hoa Town Police Department deployed to apprehend the suspects red-handed.

After more than two hours of covert surveillance, using professional tactics, the detectives neutralized two individuals acting as lookouts and quickly approached the target, apprehending Nam and his group while they were gambling.

The seized items. Photo: Trung Duc.

Taking advantage of a lapse in security, the two suspects quickly jumped through the door to escape but were apprehended by undercover officers. Items seized at the gambling site included 17,900,000 VND and a deck of playing cards. A search of the suspects yielded a large amount of cash and other valuable assets.

That same night, the gambling suspects and related evidence were brought to the Criminal Investigation Department of Thai Hoa Town Police for questioning and clarification. There, the suspects identified themselves as Phan Trong Toan (born 1967) residing in Hamlet 3, Nguyen Cong Quy (born 1984) residing in Hamlet 6, Pham Van Trung (born 1984) residing in Hamlet 1 (all in Nghia Tien commune); Nguyen Van Duc (born 1971) residing in Hung Thanh hamlet and Ha Van Nam (born 1978) residing in Hung Xuan hamlet (all in Tay Hieu commune).

After consolidating the case file, the Criminal Investigation Department of Thai Hoa Town Police recently initiated a criminal case and indicted the aforementioned defendants for gambling to continue expanding the investigation. Following the indictment of the defendants, the owner of the coffee shop, Nguyen Thi Hien, also surrendered to the investigating agency, confessing to gambling. She admitted to lending money to the gamblers if needed, in exchange for interest.

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