Cyanide trafficking ring exposed after woman's death

On October 22, Binh Chanh District Police arrested Nguyen Thanh Tai (30 years old), Ha Van Viet (41 years old) and Khuc Van Hieu (36 years old) for illegally storing and trading toxic substances.

A month ago, Major General Mai Hoang, Deputy Director of Ho Chi Minh City Police, directed that the source of illegal cyanide supply must be clarified, after a woman committed suicide with this poison.

After a day of investigation, Binh Chanh District Police coordinated with Binh Thanh District to arrest Phan Minh Trung, 34 years old - the person who sold cyanide to the victim. Based on Trung's testimony, Nguyen Thanh Tai and 2 accomplices (part of a ring that illegally traded large quantities of cyanide, hiding under the guise of chemical trading companies) were arrested one after another.

Searching storage facilities in Ho Chi Minh City and Long An province, police seized nearly 4 tons of cyanide.

These people stated that they had established 3 legal entities, which were granted licenses by the Ministry of Industry and Trade and the Ho Chi Minh City Department of Industry and Trade to trade in restricted chemicals and to trade in the industrial sector to import cyanide. After having imported goods in accordance with regulations, the companies sold them to customers without licenses to trade in cyanide chemicals to increase their income; they did not create control sheets for the purchase and sale of toxic chemicals.

Initially, the investigation agency determined that Tai's group had illegally sold more than 400 kg of cyanide to 4 cases in Ho Chi Minh City, earning a profit of 40 million VND. The police promptly recovered more than 27 kg of the poison that had been illegally sold on the market.

Nearly 10 tons of cyanide seized after inspection

According to Ho Chi Minh City Police, the management of toxic chemical trading (especially cyanide) currently has many loopholes and shortcomings, making it easy to buy and sell toxic chemicals at locations and even on the internet. Most people buy cyanide for use in mining, electroplating, and metal processing, but police have also discovered criminals using this poison to kill people, rob property; or commit suicide.

Recently, Ho Chi Minh City Police established 7 working groups to simultaneously inspect 21 locations selling dangerous and toxic chemicals in the Kim Bien market area (District 5); confiscated 433 bottles of cyanide chemical solution; 179 kg of cyanide and 8 boxes of the toxic chemical Potassium Gold Cyanide 62.8% (Potassium Yellow Cyanide).

Initially, the police determined that there were violations related to the act of trading chemicals without invoices, documents, unknown origin, without a Certificate of eligibility for trading in manufactured chemicals, and conditional trading in the industrial sector...

District 5 police have investigated the illegal storage and trading of toxic substances at Tien Phat Company Limited Branch; 2 electroplating businesses Diep Xi and Ngan Loi; and prosecuted 6 people at these establishments for illegal storage and trading of toxic substances.

Or in early September, Binh Thanh District Police dismantled a ring illegally selling more than 2.5 tons of cyanide, arresting Ngo Thi Nhu Hue, 39 years old, Head of Sales Department of Nam Phuong Chemical Company and Nguyen Duc Thanh Huy, 35 years old.

In total, after more than a month of implementing the plan, Ho Chi Minh City Police discovered and prosecuted 5 cases with 17 defendants; seized nearly 10 tons of cyanide, 315 kg of sulfuric acid, 105 kg of hydrochloric acid and many other exhibits.