The objects of evidence. — Photo courtesy of the Nghệ An Police

NGHỆ AN — A gang trafficking military-grade weapons online has been busted by the Nghệ An Province Criminal Police Division, during an intensified crackdown during December 15-24.

The police initially arrested 42 suspects of the ring.

This is the largest case in the province to date involving the crime of "illegal manufacture, trading and possession of military weapons".

Through screening and verification efforts, the police uncovered a highly professional arms trafficking ring on an exceptionally large scale, spanning multiple provinces across the country.

The suspects used fake accounts to advertise the sales of the weapons on social media apps.

The investigation identified the ringleaders as Lê Thanh Hưng, 31, from Sơn Tịnh Commune, the central province of Quảng Ngãi, and Sầm Thị Thơm, 40, residing in Hưng Long Commune, HCM City. These two closely collaborated, dividing tasks from production to customer sourcing.

Nghệ An police has been questioning Sầm Thị Thơm from HCM City. — VNA/VNS Photo

From August last year to December this year, the ring recruited dozens of participants, distributing hundreds of thousands of rounds of ammunition along with numerous military weapon components, netting hundreds of millions of đồng (VNĐ100 millions equals about US$3,800) in illicit profits.

When the Ministry of Public Security launched a nationwide crackdown on crime on the middle of this month, the group contacted members to halt operations in an attempt to evade the sweep.

From December 15 to December 24, the Nghệ An Provincial Police directed the Criminal Police Division to deploy dozens of task forces, coordinating with provincial specialised units, Thái Hoà Commune Police as well as forces from various units and localities nationwide. They conducted simultaneous arrests and emergency searches on 42 suspects across multiple provinces and cities.

Seized items include 64 military rifles, 28,720 rounds of military-grade ammunition, 24 support stun guns, 1,260 rubber and pellet rounds; two laptops, 42 mobile phones and other related items.

Currently, the Nghệ An Provincial Investigation Police Division has initiated the case and charged 38 defendants with "illegal manufacture, possession, transport, use, trading or appropriation of military weapons and technical military equipment", with the investigation ongoing. — VNS