Phạm Xuân Thanh faces ten years in prison for human trafficking. Photo courtesy of Lâm Đồng Police.

HÀ NỘI — Seven defendants in a case involving human trafficking at a Cambodian casino have been sentenced to prison, with the longest jail term being 10 years.

Phạm Xuân Thanh and six accomplices were prosecuted by the Hà Nội People's Procuracy at Hà Nội People's Court on Monday for the crimes of "human trafficking" and "gambling". Thanh, born in 1984, is from Đà Lạt, Lâm Đồng Province.

Thanh's six accomplices are Nguyễn Hoàng Nam, born in 1988; Trần Xuân Hiếu, born in 1988; Nguyễn Việt Anh, born in 1990; Nguyễn Bảo Khánh, born in 1994; Nguyễn Thị Thu Hiền and Nguyễn Thị Lan, born in 1968, all current reside in Hà Nội.

The court sentenced four defendants for "human trafficking": Thanh received a 10-year prison sentence, Hiếu was sentenced to seven years and six months in prison, and Việt Anh and Khánh both received six-year sentences. Hiền and Lan were both sentenced to eight months in prison for "gambling." Nam was sentenced to eight years in prison for "human trafficking" and 15 months in prison for "gambling," making it nine years and three months in combination.

Around February 2022, Phạm Xuân Thanh (known as Thanh "Nô") turned to Facebook in search of employment. He came across a job ad offering a chef position at a Cambodian casino with a $700 monthly salary, prompting him to travel to the Mộc Bài-Tây Ninh International Border Gate to apply.

While in Phnom Penh, Cambodia, Thanh contacted the company advertising the job and secured a six-month contract as an assistant cook. Later, he transitioned to the customer service department, tasked with persuading Vietnamese individuals to engage in online stock market trading and gambling, and manipulating the outcomes to make profits.

Drawn in by the financial incentive of $2,000 per recruited individual, Thanh resigned from his position, and rented a house in the riverbank area of Svay Rieng Province, Cambodia, with the aim of luring people to sell to the company.

In mid-March 2022, Thanh contacted Nguyễn Việt Anh, mentioning opportunities at a Cambodian gaming and casino company where he had shares. Thanh persuaded Việt Anh to join, offering a monthly salary of $700-800 plus bonuses, potentially exceeding $1,000 with dedication. Việt Anh agreed, and Thanh informed him of recruitment incentives, promising $300 per referral. Việt Anh suggested his friend Trần Xuân Hiếu, but when Thanh proposed the online gambling job opportunity, Hiếu declined.

Following this, Thanh instructed Việt Anh to find other candidates. Việt Anh then approached Nguyễn Hoàng Nam, agreeing that Nam would recruit individuals in Việt Nam while Việt Anh, Hiếu and Thanh facilitated their travel to Cambodia. From late March to April 2022, Việt Anh and Hiếu collaborated with Thanh in Svay Rieng Province, coordinating with Nam in Việt Nam to find and introduce Vietnamese individuals to Thanh, who subsequently 'sold' them to the company. At the casino, victims were forced to surrender their passports, sign contracts, reside in controlled areas, and were closely monitored by armed guards, restricting their freedom.

The victims were coerced into using computers and social media to deceive other Vietnamese individuals into joining online gambling platforms, stock market and cryptocurrency trading sites, and transferring money, which was misappropriated. They faced quotas and were threatened with being sold to other companies, or with physical violence and forced labour if they failed to meet their targets. If asking to quit, they were demanded to pay from $3,000 to $8,000.

Following the investigation, from late March to April 30th, 2022, Thanh sold three individuals to the company, getting over VNĐ117 million ($4,690); Nam traded two individuals, profiting over VNĐ46.9 million ($1,880); and Hiếu traded two individuals, profiting over VNĐ1.3 million (US$52.11).

As the investigation broadened, the police found that defendants Nam, Hiền and Lan were also involved in gambling. Consequently, they were also investigated, prosecuted and tried for this offense. — VNS