Defendants at the court on Wednesday in the Mekong Delta province of An Giang.—VNA/VNS Photo Công Mạo

AN GIANG — The People’s Court of An Giang Province has sentenced 62 defendants of a gambling ring, with a scale of over VNĐ1 trillion (US$42.6 million), to a total of 208 years and six months in prison for 'organising gambling' and 'gambling' on Wednesday.

The court also forced the defendants to pay back over VNĐ4.84 billion (US$206,850) of illicit profits from gambling.

Defendant Nguyễn Thị Thủy Liên, 57, the ring leader of Mỹ Xuyên Ward in the province’s Long Xuyên City, was sentenced 10 years in prison.

Huỳnh Sĩ Nguyên, 46, of Long Xuyên City, was sentenced to 10 years in prison on the same charges, while Dương Văn Hoàng, 64, of Long Xuyên City, was given eight years and six months.

Lương Kim Khá, 43, of Long Xuyên City, was sentenced to six years and three months. 

The above were all found guilty of 'organising gambling' and 'gambling'.

Liên, Nguyên, and Hoàng were forced to pay an additional fine of VNĐ70 million ($2,985), while Khá had to pay an additional fine of VNĐ50 million ($2,132).

Thirteen other defendants of the ring were charged with "organising gambling", while 45 other defendants were charged with “gambling."

These defendants received sentences from six months probation to five years in prison.

Each defendant also has to pay an additional fine of VNĐ10-20 million ($426-852). The fines total more than VNĐ1 billion ($42,652).

According to the indictment, in May 2021, the provincial Police Department received information from local people about the ring.

After inspection, on June 5, 2021, the department issued an urgent-search warrant for the residences of Liên, Hoàng, Khá, Nguyên and some defendants of the ring, including La Thị Hồng Yến, Lê Tấn Hảo, Trương Thị Bích Hạnh, Nguyễn Thị Hồng Sơn, Trần Thị Ánh Tuyết, Huỳnh Thị Thu Sương.

Police seized 108 mobile phones, eight printers, three fax machines, two sets of money counters, three cameras, 27 computers, eight iPads, one photocopy machine, 12 motorbikes, five cars, and more than VNĐ7.1 billion ($303,000), along with other valuable assets. — VNS