Coffee mixed with battery charcoal case: Approval of emergency arrest decision for 5 subjects

On April 26, at a press conference announcing information related to the discovery of Ms. Nguyen Thi Thanh Loan's facility (village 13, Dak Wer commune, Dak R'Lap district) mixing battery core solution into coffee impurities, Lieutenant Colonel Pham Thanh Binh - spokesman for Dak Nong Provincial Police said that the People's Procuracy at the same level had approved the decision to urgently detain 5 related subjects.

Mr. Nguyen Van Cuong - Director of Dak Nong Provincial People's Procuracy, also confirmed that the unit has received a file from Dak Nong Provincial Police requesting to prosecute 5 defendants in the case of dyeing coffee waste with battery charcoal, of Ms. Nguyen Thi Thanh Loan's facility.

Because Ms. Loan and her husband had previously intended to leave the locality for Dong Nai, the agency approved the decision to urgently detain them.

Nguyen Thi Thanh Loan, owner of the production facility, mixed coffee impurities with battery solution.

The five subjects were urgently detained, including: Nguyen Thi Thanh Loan (born in 1975); Nguyen Xuan Bao (born in 1985), both residing in Dak Wer commune, Dak R'Lap district; Phan Thi Dung (born in 1962, residing in Loc Ninh town, Loc Ninh district, Binh Phuoc province); Le Thi Hong Tho (born in 1979) and Tran Van Tuan (born in 1976), both residing in Nam N'Jang commune, Dak Song district.

At the press conference on April 26, Lieutenant Colonel Pham Thanh Binh said that after nearly 10 days of fighting, the Investigation Police Agency had enough grounds to prosecute the case and urgently arrest Nguyen Thi Thanh Loan and the four above subjects related to the incident.

Accordingly, Nguyen Thi Thanh Loan confessed to selling to Le Thi Hong Tho and Tran Van Tuan (residing in Nam Njang commune, Dak Song district) 3 tons of mixed coffee mixed with gravel and battery. Then, this item was sold to Phan Thi Dung (Director of Thao Dung Production and Trade Company Limited, Binh Phuoc province) to mix with pepper.

After purchasing 3 tons of the above mixture, Phan Thi Dung used a portion to mix with dry peppercorns, packed into 360 bags and stored in the warehouse, totaling 9 tons. According to the subject's confession, it was to increase the pepper volume.

Spokesperson of Dak Nong Provincial Police informed about the incident.

Regarding the remaining mixture, Phan Thi Dung confessed: When she heard that Nguyen Thi Thanh Loan's mixing behavior had been discovered by Dak Nong Provincial Police, Phan Thi Dung mixed the remaining mixture with lime, phosphate fertilizer and pig manure, then hid it in the rubber garden, with the intention of burying and destroying evidence.

The Investigation Police Agency of Dak Nong Province Police seized 9 tons of pepper (mixed with the mixture) and 11 tons of a mixture mixed with lime, phosphate fertilizer, and pig manure. Dak Nong Province Police collected samples and sent them to the Institute of Criminal Science - Ministry of Public Security for examination.

With the investigation results up to this point, it can be concluded that the mixture made by Nguyen Thi Thanh Loan and Nguyen Xuan Bao was promptly discovered, stopped and seized by the Dak Nong Provincial Police. This mixture has not been mixed or processed into products such as coffee powder or pepper powder for consumption on the market.

Currently, the Investigation Police Agency is continuing to investigate and clarify the case according to the provisions of law.