Who is the notorious gangster Phi 'Black'?

The worker overthrew the "boss" to seize power.

Phi "the Black," whose real name is Le Van Phi (born in 1986), is from Trang Son commune, Do Luong district, Nghe An province. He is commonly known in the criminal underworld by the nickname Phi "the Black" because of his dark complexion and tough demeanor.

Born in a rural village with a revolutionary tradition in Do Luong district, Phi was a very intelligent, filial, and ambitious boy. However, a rash decision at the age of 14 changed the course of his life. While tending the family's rice wine, Phi made the fire burn too high, thinking he could finish quickly and go play. As a result, the wine burned and had to be thrown away. Phi was severely scolded by his father, most resentfully being called "stupid." At that time, thinking "what's the point of going to school if I'm stupid," Phi dropped out of school. Angry at his father, he wouldn't listen to anyone's advice. After three years of dropping out, Phi packed his bags and left his impoverished village of Trang Son for the South to work and earn a living, with the intention of honestly earning money to help his family make ends meet.

Initially, Phi sought work at several industrial facilities in Binh Duong. At that time, there were local gang leaders like "Muoi Thu" and "Tuan Cho" in the area. Through introductions from friends and encounters with fellow villagers, Phi became acquainted with Nguyen Trong Muoi (born in 1978), from the same Trang Son commune as Phi, also known as "Muoi Thu." Muoi was a notorious gang leader in the "black triangle" region of Ho Chi Minh City - Binh Duong - Dong Nai. Seeing his fellow villager making a lot of money, Le Van Phi decided to join Muoi's gang.

Le Van Phi at the Police Investigation agency. Photo: HSVA

Phi quickly caught the attention of the gang leader. He participated in all the gang-related assassinations led by Muoi Thu because he was very intelligent; he always knew what he needed and what he should do. He observed the gang leader's "business" methods while accumulating experience, harboring the ambition to break away and start his own business later.

Although under the boss's command, Phi "the Black" always held a grudge whenever Muoi Thu played dirty. This was evident in many business deals he facilitated.extortion, seizure...protection rackets... the profits were divided unevenly, while Phi felt his efforts were worth more than that. Phi planned to break away and form his own gang, so he would no longer be dependent on or controlled by the gang leader Muoi Thu. Phi secretly built up his network to create power, while simultaneously searching for areas to "make a living" and territories to operate in. Phi believed that only complex border regions were fertile ground for building his empire, making it easier to escape if anything happened. The main areas of activity he chose were debt collection and protection rackets for gambling dens.

Once he had dozens of close associates and enough power, Phi openly betrayed Muoi Thu. Years of harmonious relations with his senior, who had also been his "mentor" in the profession, were now replaced by hatred.

In 2008, Phi "the Black" ordered one of his henchmen to hunt down Muoi Thu. Luckily, the henchman's clumsy knife attack saved Muoi Thu from certain death. In early 2011, Muoi Thu suffered another humiliating defeat when he led his gang to confront Phi "the Black"'s gang. Phi's men ambushed and beat him mercilessly, leaving one of Muoi Thu's henchmen severely injured. Since then, Muoi Thu has been relentlessly pursuing revenge.

In late September 2011, the entire An Binh neighborhood was abuzz when police forces arrested dozens of gangsters belonging to Muoi Thu's gang, along with a dozen weapons including knives, machetes, and homemade guns. It was learned that Phi "the Black" had previously challenged Muoi Thu to a fight in the Song Than area (Di An City, Binh Duong Province). Having long harbored resentment towards his arrogant fellow villager, Muoi Thu immediately accepted the challenge.

Immediately, Muoi Thu gathered dozens of his henchmen, fully armed, determined to reclaim the territory. At the appointed time, Muoi Thu and more than 30 of his comrades, fully armed, ambushed the alley leading to the meeting point. But Phi "the Black," being a cunning individual, saw that Muoi Thu had taken the bait. Phi orchestrated a diversion, avoiding a direct confrontation, and simultaneously alerted the police, leading to the arrest of Muoi Thu's gang.

After this incident, Muoi Thu was arrested, his gang disintegrated, while Phi "Black"'s gang remained safe, their reputation spread far and wide, and more and more followers joined his ranks. In the region, the name Phi "Black" became a nightmare for countless people. Dozens of cases continuously occurred in the bordering areas related to his contract killings, causing headaches for the police.

Although he had been under surveillance for a long time, Phi, drawing on the experience gained from his predecessors, remained confident in his ability to maintain a safe cover. During this time, the investigative agency persistently gathered evidence and victim complaints accusing Phi "the Black" of his crimes.

The price to pay for recklessness

For a long time, the name Phi "Black" was notorious in the criminal underworld of the "Black Triangle," causing widespread fear among the public. Investigators noted that, unlike his predecessors, Phi "Black" was not only reckless and ruthless, striking fear into his victims, but also incredibly cunning, making it difficult for security forces to apprehend him.

Indeed, Phi "the Black" was an extremely cunning gangster. After committing crimes, his gang knew how to quickly erase all traces, and Phi "the Black" was especially cautious whenever he appeared in public. Earlier, at the end of 2011, Phi "the Black" was relentlessly pursued by the police for "Intentional Infliction of Injury" and other related offenses. At that time, he hid in the center of Ho Chi Minh City. There, Phi continued his protection racket for casinos in District 1, operating very discreetly under various guises. Being wanted, Phi "the Black" disguised himself in many sophisticated ways. When out in public, he often wore a police helmet, and normally he wore the uniform of the priority police force, making him very difficult to detect.

Through professional investigative methods and persistent surveillance, on the night of March 14, 2012, the police force of the Ministry of Public Security, in coordination with the police of Di An City (Binh Duong province), arrested Phi "the Black" at a coffee shop in District 1, Ho Chi Minh City, for investigation and trial. For his crimes, Le Van Phi had to dutifully serve his prison sentence, just like his older brother, Muoi Thu.

In 2018, Phi was released from prison, but he resumed his old ways, gathering followers to organize protection rackets, loan sharking, football betting, and lottery activities. In March 2019, a resident went to Cuong Phat Real Estate Company (Dong Hoa Ward, Di An City) to settle a previous land transaction, but a conflict and scuffle ensued with company employees, causing him to abandon his motorbike and flee. A few hours later, this person returned to the company in a car with two other men to retrieve his motorbike. He met the company director, who instructed him to go to the Di An Ward Police Station to retrieve the vehicle. While the group was on their way to the police station, a company representative called them and told them to return to the company to get their motorbike.

However, upon returning to Cuong Phat Real Estate Company, Le Van Phi and 15 other individuals (hired to handle the incident) lined up and attacked the people in the car with weapons, causing injuries. Afterwards, Phi and his accomplices used electrical wires to tie up one person in the car, then drove to the front of the Di An Ward Police Station, dropped them off, and left.

Following an investigation, the Dĩ An City Police arrested 15 members of the youth group involved in the crime. Phi, however, fled his residence and went to the Ngọc Hồi Border Gate area (Kon Tum province), bordering Laos, to evade capture by the Bình Dương Police.

While living in Laos, Phi stole property and was arrested by the local authorities.

Le Van Phi was extradited from Laos to Vietnam and handed over to the Vietnamese police for investigation into several acts of illegal detention. Photo: HSVA.

On November 15, 2021, Le Van Phi completed his sentence in Laos. The Lao police then extradited Phi to the Ngoc Hoi border gate (Kon Tum province) and handed him over to the Vietnamese police because he was wanted for further investigation and prosecution regarding previous cases.

The notorious gangster Phi "Black" – the one who overthrew his former boss to seize power – has a long criminal record for offenses including intentional injury, organizing gambling, illegal possession of military weapons, threatening to kill, and extortion. Now, he has re-offended with a dangerous new offense. Phi could face a sentence that will bury him for the rest of his life. That is the price he must pay for his arrogance, disregard for the law, and contempt for loyalty. Hopefully, the days awaiting sentencing and the years he will spend in prison will awaken the humanity and inherent goodness in Le Van Phi...