Breaking up a smuggling ring of over 22,000 phones and laptops from abroad

Ho Chi Minh City police said they have just broken up a gang smuggling mobile phones from abroad to Ho Chi Minh City.

From December 2021 to the time of arrest, the subjects had successfully transported over 22,000 mobile phones, laptops, and tablets of various types; estimated value of about 300 billion VND.

According to the police, this criminal gang is led by Ngo Tan Dat (born in 1981, residing in Ward 6, District 10).

Using professional measures, on October 26, detectives caught Nguyen Van Giang (born in 1986, residing in Tara apartment building, No. 1A, Ta Quang Buu street, Ward 6, District 8) red-handed while receiving styrofoam boxes containing smuggled mobile phones to transfer to a warehouse at 157 Hung Phu (Ward 8, District 8).

During an emergency search of the above warehouse, the City Police seized 3,948 iPhone brand mobile phones of various types, 3 tablets of various types, 1 Microsoft laptop, 20 AirTag positioning devices (estimated value of about 30 billion VND) and related objects, documents, and electronic data.

From Nguyen Van Giang's testimony, the police issued an emergency search warrant for his residence and summoned Ngo Tan Dat to clarify his criminal behavior.

Investigation results determined that from around December 2021, Ngo Tan Dat had colluded with foreigners (unknown background) to form a smuggling ring of various types of mobile phones to Ho Chi Minh City for consumption.

On November 2, the Investigation Police Agency prosecuted and temporarily detained Ngo Tan Dat and Nguyen Van Giang for the crime of "Smuggling" under Article 188 of the 2015 Penal Code, amended and supplemented in 2017.