The suspects at the police station. — Photo courtesy of police.

HÀ NỘI — Police in Đà Nẵng have uncovered a cross-border ring involving money laundering, large-scale fraud and the production of forged documents, following an extensive probe by the city’s Economic Police Department.

A further 10 suspects were charged on Thursday, bringing the total number of defendants to 30. Those implicated come from several localities, including Đắk Lắk, Huế, Quảng Ngãi, Nghệ An, Khánh Hòa, Gia Lai and Quảng Trị.

Those charged include Lê Văn Ngọc Duy from Đắk Lắk; Phan Đức Hậu in Huế City; Hồ Lê Vũ Hoài in Quảng Ngãi; Nguyễn Trúc Mai in Nghệ An; Cao Ngọc Sơn and Võ Đại Lượng in Khánh Hòa; Đinh Ngọc Long and Nguyễn Minh Sáng in Gia Lai; and Châu Thế Anh and Nguyễn Văn Tuấn in Quảng Trị.

Investigators say the ring handled illicit funds on an extraordinary scale, with transactions exceeding VNĐ67 trillion (US$2.54 billion), $43 million, 1.5 million euro and and CA$1 million.

During the raids, police blocked more than 1,000 bank accounts and seized about VNĐ100 billion in cash. Officers also impounded two land plots and collected an array of evidence including 15 seal-making machines, printers, computers, 500 fake seals, nearly 100 counterfeit ID cards and blanks, and around 1,2000 pages of documents used to set up bogus companies.

The investigation found that the perpetrators colluded with bank staff to open over 1,000 sham corporate accounts using forged papers, while also buying close to 10,000 personal accounts registered under other people’s names. These accounts were later supplied to criminal groups in Cambodia to carry out online scams and launder money.

Dozens of linked fraud cases have now been identified in Đà Nẵng, Hà Nội, HCM City, Cần Thơ, Hưng Yên, Lạng Sơn, Quảng Ngãi, Bình Thuận, Lâm Đồng, Đồng Nai and Cà Mau. 

Several victims suffered heavy losses, including one case involving as much as VNĐ12 billion.

The case is under further investigation. — VNS