Authorities busted a location selling nitrous oxide (laughing gas) that generated nearly 7 billion VND in illegal profits.
On the evening of October 30th, the Ho Chi Minh City Police Investigation Agency announced that it had issued a decision to initiate a criminal case, indict and temporarily detain four individuals: Truong Ngoc An, Su Huu Minh Kha, Nguyen Diep Huy, and Luong Moc Han for the crime of "Trafficking in prohibited goods," while also expanding the investigation into the N₂O gas supply ring in the area.
Previously, through intelligence gathering, the Economic Police Department of Ho Chi Minh City Police discovered that the Destiny business (No. 16 Quoc Huong Street, An Khanh Ward), operating as a bar, was selling nitrous oxide (N₂O gas) to customers for direct use on-site.
During the inspection, the city police discovered that the establishment was storing 21 cylinders of nitrous oxide (laughing gas) and 40 unused balloons intended for sale to customers. At the time of the inspection, the shop had 6 employees assigned specific tasks, including Truong Ngoc An (born in 1990, residing in Tan Dinh ward) - the owner; Su Huu Minh Kha (born in 2002, currently residing in An Khanh ward) - the operational assistant; Nguyen Diep Huy (born in 2001, currently residing in An Khanh ward) - the direct manager and gas pump operator; and Luong Moc Han (born in 1990, currently residing in Cau Kieu ward) - the cashier. The suspects used multiple Zalo and Viber groups to exchange information, order nitrous oxide, and track daily revenue.
Initial investigations revealed that the establishment had a separate area dedicated to serving nitrous oxide (laughing gas), operating 24/7, primarily catering to customers who had made reservations in advance, only accepting customers after 11 PM, and prioritizing regular customers to evade authorities.
When inspected, employees were instructed to hide the N₂O gas cylinders to conceal the violation. Each month, this facility imported 50-200 N₂O gas cylinders (2 kg each) at a price ranging from 2.3 to 4.3 million VND per cylinder.
In the first six months of 2025, the group sold 65,522 nitrous oxide balloons, earning nearly 7 billion VND in illicit profits. To conceal their activities, they even changed the name of the nitrous oxide balloons in menus and invoices to a different name.
Working with the police, the suspects admitted to the violations, acknowledging that laughing gas is a prohibited item and harmful to human health, yet they deliberately produced it for profit.
The Ho Chi Minh City Police Department advises organizations, individuals, and businesses to absolutely refrain from trading, storing, or using N₂O gas (laughing gas) – a product prohibited by the State from being traded or used due to its serious impact on health and social order.
