Lê Văn Hỡi at the HCM City Police Investigation Agency. — Photo courtesy of the HCM City Police

HCM CITY — Two ship captains in HCM City have been charged with organising illegal departures after allegedly switching off tracking devices and taking Vietnamese fishermen to conduct unlawful fishing in foreign waters, authorities said on Monday.

According to the HCM City Investigation Security Agency, Lê Văn Hỡi, 49, and his younger brother, Lê Văn Âu, 43, both captains of fishing vessels, have been accused of “organising others to leave the country illegally.” 

The case has been transferred to the municipal People’s Procuracy for prosecution.

Hỡi is currently in detention, while Âu has been released on bail.

The move comes five days after the HCM City Border Guard Command handed the case over to police.

Investigators said that on April 3, the brothers led 12 fishermen from Tân Phước Port in Long Hải, an area now under HCM City’s administration, to catch seafood.

On April 9, without obtaining departure clearance, they allegedly commanded two fishing boats carrying 14 crew members to foreign waters.

To avoid detection, the captains reportedly disabled their vessel tracking systems and Automatic Identification System (AIS) devices.

On May 12, Hỡi’s vessel and 11 crew members were detained by foreign authorities while fishing illegally. Âu and three others escaped and returned to Việt Nam. After being processed abroad, Hỡi and his crew were later released and repatriated.

The investigation forms part of a broader national crackdown on illegal, unreported and unregulated (IUU) fishing, following directives from the Prime Minister and the Ministry of Public Security.

Police in HCM City said they have so far prosecuted five cases involving six individuals related to IUU violations, with several cases already brought to trial.

Authorities said the prosecution aims to deter further violations and support Việ Nam’s efforts to have the European Union lift its 'yellow card' warning over IUU fishing activities.

The security agency also urged fishermen to comply with maritime and international fishing regulations.— VNS