Arrest of a Foreign National Hiding Under the Guise of Tourism to Circulate Counterfeit Currency

On June 5th, Lieutenant Colonel Vu Tran Minh Dat, Head of the Lao Cai International Border Gate, announced the initiation of a criminal case concerning the “Possession, Transportation, and Circulation of Counterfeit Money.” This development comes after the arrest of a Chinese national involved in these illicit activities in the Lao Cai International Border Gate area.

Previously, on May 29th, a task force from the Lao Cai International Border Gate, in collaboration with the Anti-Drug and Crime Department and the Customs Office, identified a suspicious individual named Bach Dung (Han ethnicity, born in 1990).

Dung, a resident of Yan’an city in Shaanxi Province, China, had entered Vietnam with a passport.

Following his entry into Vietnam, Bach Dung proceeded to the area in front of the Sapaly Hotel in Ward 26, Lao Cai city. There, he exchanged 2,000 Chinese Yuan for 7 million Vietnamese Dong. He then went to the next counter and exchanged 3,000 Chinese Yuan for over 10 million Vietnamese Dong.

Upon realizing that the money exchanged by Bach Dung was counterfeit, the border guard authorities apprehended the individual and confiscated the evidence.

During the investigation, Bach Dung confessed to carrying over 18,000 Chinese Yuan in 100-Yuan denominations, including 185 counterfeit notes and 2 genuine notes. He admitted that he was aware the money was fake but intended to use it during his stay in Vietnam.

The technical criminal police department of Lao Cai Provincial Public Security and the Vietnam Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development confirmed the criminal nature of the case, falling under Article 207, Clause 3 of the Criminal Code, which pertains to the possession, transportation, and circulation of counterfeit money.

The Head of the Lao Cai International Border Gate has decided to prosecute the case of “Possession, Transportation, and Circulation of Counterfeit Money” within its jurisdiction.