On January 15, the Ho Chi Minh City Police Investigation Agency (PC01) announced that it had issued a decision to prosecute and temporarily detain Vu Xuan Dong (43 years old, residing in Binh Thanh District, an officer of the Ho Chi Minh City Customs Department) for the crime of Smuggling.

According to the police, Dong Nguyen is a customs officer in the goods inspection department of the Import Goods Procedures Team, Saigon Port Customs Branch, Region I, currently working at the Customs Department of Saigon Port Customs Branch, Region III (HCMC).

Police identified Dong as a suspect involved in the smuggling case carried out by Hoang Duy Tien and his accomplices.

According to the investigation, Tien's group established ghost companies, used the legal status of these companies to open many sets of customs declarations, and smuggled more than 1,200 containers of old machinery and equipment from abroad to Vietnam.

The subjects colluded with the appraisal company to issue "fake" appraisal certificates, creating conditions for the subjects to carry out customs clearance procedures and consume and trade the above used machinery and equipment in the Vietnamese market to make illegal profits.

PC01 has concluded the investigation of the case and transferred it to the Ho Chi Minh City People's Procuracy to prosecute 26 defendants who are the subjects who established the enterprise, the goods owner, and the appraisal company for the crime of Smuggling.

Through further investigation, the authorities determined that Vu Xuan Dong was an accomplice, actively assisting the criminal activities of the subjects, concealing the criminal acts, and helping Tien's group with customs clearance procedures when Dong was a civil servant assigned to physically inspect Tien's goods.

The police agency continues to expand the investigation, clarifying the responsibilities of other related individuals and agencies.