Members of a gang involved in large-scale counterfeit fertiliser production and distribution busted by the HCM City Police with the equipment they used. — VNA/VNS Photo

HCM CITY — The HCM City police have busted a major counterfeit fertiliser production and distribution gang, and filed charges against 11 people, they announced on November 2.

According to preliminary investigations, since 2025, the individuals involved in the operation led by Nguyễn Hồng Lam set up multiple companies and legal entities to import fertilisers from China, the Republic of Korea, Laos, and other countries.

They stored them at a warehouse in Dĩ An Ward’s Sóng Thần 1 Industrial Park, and there they repackaged them with fake international brand names, origins, and geographical indications, including from India and Belgium, to increase their value.

They were then sold to many localities in Southern Việt Nam and the Central Highland through social media pages, generating profits of tens of billions of đồng.

The operation involved only relatives and acquaintances to avoid detection.

On September 29, the economic police division of the city’s police conducted an operation, apprehending several people caught in the act of faking the fertilisers.

During searches, authorities seized 2,157 tonnes of fertilisers packed in bags, machinery, equipment, and documents used in the production process.

Further investigations revealed that the suspects also colluded with the director and the sales manager of Vina Tân Á Joint Stock Company to commission the printing of packaging with information indicating foreign origins.

The authorities looked into numerous businesses, commercial establishments and individuals in HCM City the provinces of Đắk Lắk, Gia Lai, Lâm Đồng, Đồng Tháp and Vĩnh Long, and recovered a large quantity of counterfeit fertilisers that had been sold.

The city police’s investigative police agency has started a criminal invetigation, charging 11 individuals and issuing detention orders for the crime of manufacturing and trading counterfeit fertiliser.

The police are continuing their investigation into the arrested individuals’ roles, and seeking information from businesses and customers who had bought the counterfeit products. — VNS