Gambling den worth nearly 4 billion in Lao Cai busted

“Gamblers usually park their cars quite far from the gambling location and often leave money in the car. When they lose, they go outside to get more. This is the only time the door of the house in Group 10, Duyen Hai Ward is opened…” - Major Le Van Viet, Lao Cai City Police said and they chose this time to solve the case.

This is the largest gambling den ever discovered and arrested by Lao Cai City Police (Lao Cai Province). After initiating a criminal case, on September 7, the Lao Cai City Police Department announced that it had decided to prosecute 9 out of 18 suspects for gambling. The police seized evidence including 2 cars, 19 mobile phones of various types and nearly 4 billion VND.

The prosecuted subjects include Pham Thi Ngoc Hoa (29 years old, residing at 171, Kham Thien Street, Tho Quan Ward, Dong Da District, Hanoi); Pham Thanh Son (30 years old, residing at Group 20, Kim Tan Ward, an officer of Lao Cai Copper Plant); Hoang Mai Phuong (41 years old, residing at Group 10, Hong Ha Ward, Yen Bai City, Yen Bai Province); Kieu Thi Ngoi (43 years old, residing at Group 14, Coc Leu Ward, Lao Cai City); Tran Van Chung (48 years old, Group 19, Coc Leu Ward, Lao Cai City); Tran Xuan Cung (42 years old, Group 22, Kim Tan Ward, Lao Cai City); Bui Van Tai (38 years old, Group 45, Kim Tan Ward, an officer of Lao Cai Province Department of Transport), Le Xuan Dung (53 years old, Group 6, Coc Leu Ward, Lao Cai City); Le Bich Thuy (46 years old, Group 23, Kim Tan Ward, Lao Cai City).

Lao Cai City Police recorded and seized gambling evidence.

Previously, through the work of managing the area and the source of crime denunciations from the masses, the Social Order Crime Investigation Team of Lao Cai City Police had information about a large-scale gambling den. This group of subjects moved to many locations and recently often gathered at a house on Nhac Son Street, Group 10, Duyen Hai Ward. The subjects participating in gambling were diverse, in addition to freelancers, there were also state officials, currently working at a number of agencies and enterprises in Lao Cai...

Under the direction of Colonel Giang Ly Pao, Deputy Director of Lao Cai Provincial Police, experienced detectives from Lao Cai City Police were deployed to capture the activities of this group.Lieutenant Colonel Doan Thanh Son, Deputy Chief of Lao Cai City Police, who directly supervised the case, recalled: Several times a month, this group of subjects organized gambling on the second floor of a house in Group 10, Duyen Hai Ward. These times, they always had people guard carefully and installed a camera system around the area. If they saw strangers, they would alert the subjects inside to disperse all the evidence.

To ensure a successful case solving, during those days, Major Le Van Viet, acting Captain of the Social Order Crime Investigation Team of Lao Cai City Police, and his fellow detectives secretly gathered information about the activities of this group of subjects, drew a diagram of the house where the subjects gathered to gamble, and calculated and selected the appropriate time to solve the case.

Major Viet said: In order to avoid detection, gamblers often come sporadically. Those who drive cars often park their cars in locations quite far from the gambling location and money is often left in the car, when they lose they go outside to get more. "This is the only time the door of the house in group 10, Duyen Hai ward is open..." - Major Viet said and they chose this time to solve the case.

On August 24, a number of people appeared in a house in group 10, Duyen Hai ward, among them were gamblers who were in the sights of the Lao Cai Provincial Police.

At 6:00 p.m. the same day, the secret police force surrounded the entire house. As they had predicted, at 6:45 p.m. the same day, the iron door in the house opened slightly, a gambler went to the car to get money. One scout immediately controlled the guards and the gambler, the other rushed to the second floor. Too surprised, the 18 gamblers had no time to react.

The police seized a set of bowls and plates, 4 round dice cut from playing cards and over 883 million VND at the gambling table. Searching the suspects' bodies and bags, they seized 2 billion 66 million 320 thousand VND; 6,000 USD; temporarily impounded 2 cars, 19 mobile phones of various types. Searching the car of suspect Tran Van Chung, the police seized over 911 million VND. The suspects were then taken to Lao Cai City Police headquarters.

The person running the gambling den on August 24 was Pham Thi Ngoc Hoa. From Hanoi, Hoa went to Lao Cai and teamed up with other gamblers in Lao Cai province to form a large-scale gambling den. At the time she was caught red-handed by Lao Cai City Police, Hoa was raising a young child, but she was the most active person. Hoa acted as the dealer, organizing gamblers to gamble with each other by shaking the dice.

Speaking with CAND Newspaper on September 7, Comrade Ha Binh, Chief of Lao Cai City Police, said: The Investigation Police Agency of Lao Cai City Police is continuing to consolidate the case file and clarify the roles of the remaining subjects in the case.

According to CAND-M