Nguyễn Thái Nguyên (left) and Trần Văn Ngọ. — Photo nld.com.vn

ĐẮK LẮK — Two men in the Central Highlands province of Đắk Lắk are being investigated for smuggling chemicals used for ripening and preserving durian fruits, with total transactions approaching VNĐ100 billion (US$3.9 million).

Local police announced on Friday that they had initiated legal proceedings against Nguyễn Thái Nguyên, 42, from Tiền Giang Province, and Trần Văn Ngọ, 45, from Hà Tĩnh Province.

Nguyên and Ngọ allegedly collaborated in 2022 to import chemicals from Thailand used for ripening and preserving durian fruits.

They communicated via telephone and the Telegram social media platform to coordinate purchases, agree on delivery terms and make payments through bank transfers.

Based on Nguyên’s requests, Ngọ contacted a company in Thailand to purchase the goods, then arranged for them to be packaged, labelled, and transported into Việt Nam via informal border crossings.

In late July 2024, police caught Nguyên and a hired worker loading goods from an apartment in the Ecocity Premia urban area in Buôn Ma Thuột City, into a car for delivery to a customer.

Authorities seized 293 cardboard cartons packed with 3,500 bottles and containers, all labelled in foreign languages without supplementary labels or documentation indicating origin.

Evidence collected by police shows that between 2023 and July 2024, Nguyên and Ngọ had carried out 80 transactions involving the smuggled products, with a total value close to VNĐ100 billion.

Police are finalising the case file for prosecution. — VNS