The Investigation Police Agency under the Hanoi Public Security Department has announced that it had successfully dismantled a large-scale gold smuggling ring.
The investigation began around October 2025 when Hanoi police detected an operation smuggling exceptionally large quantities of gold from Hong Kong (China) into Vietnam. After approximately six months of surveillance and tracking their methods, law enforcement caught the group red-handed during a raw gold transaction in Bo De Ward, Hanoi.
At the scene, authorities seized 5kg of gold bars and related evidence. Based on collected documents, evidence, and suspect testimonies, investigators identified the ringleader as a Chinese national.
According to the initial investigation, upon receiving orders from customers, the ringleader smuggled gold from Hong Kong into Vietnam by disguising it sophisticatedly within shipments of electronic equipment to evade customs and authorities.
In Vietnam, the ringleader hired Do Minh Duc (born 1988, residing in Bac Ninh province) to serve as the primary reception point. Duc, who had previously studied in China and is fluent in Chinese, acted as an intermediary, organizing the transportation and delivery of gold to five Chinese "satellites" who were renting a house in Bac Ninh.
During questioning, Duc confessed that while he eventually realized the goods were smuggled gold, his greed led him to continue the criminal activity due to the high pay. The ringleader reportedly paid Duc between VND150 million and 200 million ($5,700 - 7,600) per month.
To evade police detection and tracking, the suspects frequently changed their methods and transportation routes, moving goods through multiple intermediary stages. Once a shipment was received, the Chinese group quickly extracted the gold hidden within the electronics, used chemicals to clean it, and then melted and cast it into raw gold bars for delivery to customers in Bac Ninh and Hanoi.
Authorities initially determined that the raw gold was sold on the market for over VND4 billion ($152,000) per kilogram. All proceeds from the sales were transferred to Duc. Duc then used the money to purchase cryptocurrency (USDT) and transferred it to various accounts as directed by the Chinese ringleader to complicate the financial trail for investigators.
According to police statistics, from March 2026 until their arrest, the group had transported and traded approximately 300kg of gold, with an estimated value of VND1.2 trillion ($45.6 million).
The Investigation Police Agency is currently expanding the probe to clarify the roles of all involved parties and handle the case in accordance with the law.
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