According to information from the Thanh Hoa City Police, the unit has just dismantled an illegal cigarette smuggling ring with sophisticated operating tricks; decided to initiate legal proceedings and prosecute six subjects, seizing more than 18,080 packs of smuggled foreign-made cigarettes.
Earlier, on June 17, through reconnaissance and intelligence gathering, the Thanh Hoa City Police detected and arrested Khương Anh Du (born 1990, residing in Dong Son ward, Thanh Hoa city) for trading 258 cartons (2,580 packs) of smuggled cigarettes under the brand name Blend No 555.
A search of the subject’s residence led to the discovery and confiscation of an additional 40 cartons (400 packs) of smuggled cigarettes, all of which were foreign-made.
At the police station, Du confessed to purchasing the confiscated cigarettes from an individual named “Tuan Kiet.” After agreeing on the price, time, and location for the exchange, “Tuan Kiet” would disguise the goods by packing them in fruit boxes and shipping them via passenger bus to Du. Through skilled investigative work, the authorities swiftly identified “Tuan Kiet” as Le Ngoc Thach (born 1988, residing in Binh Hung Hoa ward, Binh Tan district, Ho Chi Minh City).
During the course of the investigation, the Criminal Investigation Agency of Thanh Hoa City Police apprehended five additional suspects: Trinh Thi Huong (born 1989, residing in Lam Son ward, Thanh Hoa city) for trading 1,600 packs of foreign-made cigarettes; Le Ngoc Thach for trading 18,080 packs of foreign-made cigarettes; Nguyen Thi Hong (born 1983, residing in Dong Ve ward, Thanh Hoa city) for trading 13,500 packs of foreign-made cigarettes; Nguyen Tan Dat (born 1991, residing in Duc Hoa district, Long An province) and Mai Hong Hao (born 1995, residing in Binh Phong Thanh town, Moc Hoa district, Long An province) for transporting 13,500 packs of foreign-made cigarettes for the aforementioned suspects. The accused have confessed to their crimes at the police station.
On June 23, the Criminal Investigation Agency of Thanh Hoa City Police decided to initiate legal proceedings and prosecute Du, Huong, Hong, and Thach for “Production and Trading of Prohibited Goods” according to Article 190 of the 2015 Penal Code. Dat and Hao were prosecuted for “Storage and Transportation of Prohibited Goods” under Article 191 of the 2015 Penal Code. These decisions were approved by the procuracy of the same level. The Thanh Hoa City Police continue to investigate, clarify, and handle the case in accordance with the law.
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