On the afternoon of 22/7, leaders of the Economic Police Department, Thanh Hoa Provincial Police, announced that the investigative police agency had initiated criminal proceedings against four additional defendants for smuggling. The defendants are Pham Thi Hong Duyen, 32, Head of Business Department at Saigon Jewelry Company Limited (SJC); Tran Cong, 51; Tran Huu Thanh Quan, 32; and Hoang Trung Bac, 34, all residing in TP HCM.
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Police announce the indictment of defendants. Photo: Lam Son |
Police announce the indictment of defendants. Photo: Lam Son
According to investigation results, while serving as SJC's General Director, Le Thuy Hang approved and directed Pham Thi Hong Duyen to procure smuggled diamonds from Hong Kong (China). These diamonds were then illegally transported to Vietnam and introduced into the company's business system.
Within this network, Duyen was directly responsible for ordering and receiving the smuggled goods. Tran Cong handled the sale of these smuggled diamonds to SJC, while Tran Huu Thanh Quan and Hoang Trung Bac managed the delivery.
To legalize the origin of the diamonds, Duyen used various customer identities to input data into SJC's management system, falsely representing that the company was repurchasing diamonds from individual customers. After their records were "cleaned," these diamonds were transferred to Rong Vang SJC Company for appraisal before being stocked and distributed to the market.
According to investigators, the group divided the diamonds into smaller quantities for each appraisal session to create a legitimate cover for the smuggled goods, aiming to avoid detection.
During the expanded investigation, police seized an additional 354 diamonds of various types, valued at approximately 68.8 billion VND. Initial testimonies from the defendants and collected documents confirm that between 2022 and 2024, the ring introduced over 3,400 smuggled diamonds, with an estimated total value exceeding 500 billion VND, into SJC's retail system for illicit profit.
According to Thanh Hoa Provincial Police, Le Thuy Hang is currently serving a 22-year prison sentence, handed down by the Ho Chi Minh City People's Court, for embezzlement and abuse of power in an unrelated case.
The indictment of the four individuals marks the latest development in special investigation 268V, established and pursued by Thanh Hoa Provincial Police since early July. Previously, investigators uncovered a transnational gold and diamond smuggling ring operating with a closed-loop process, employing sophisticated methods to bring goods into Vietnam and legalize them before sale.
The investigation revealed that contacts in Vietnam communicated with the operational team in Hong Kong via secure messaging applications to order diamonds. Once a transaction was agreed upon, specific groups were formed to provide prices, place orders, and coordinate deliveries.
Diamonds were transported by air through airports such as Tan Son Nhat, Noi Bai, Da Nang, and Phu Quoc, hidden in luggage, clothes, and shoes to evade customs authorities.
Upon arrival in Vietnam, deliveries were organized in multiple layers, with each link knowing only their specific task. Couriers and recipients used serial numbers on US dollar bills as confirmation codes and set messages to auto-delete to erase traces.
Lieutenant Colonel Tong Dinh Xuan, Head of the Economic Police Department, Thanh Hoa Provincial Police, stated that the investigation faced challenges due to the transnational nature of the operation, transactions via encrypted platforms, the small size of diamonds making them easy to conceal, and the high expertise required for appraisal and valuation.
To date, investigators have determined that the ring successfully transacted over 30,000 diamonds, with a total value of approximately 1,500 billion VND, generating illicit profits exceeding 300 billion VND.
In connection with the special investigation, Thanh Hoa Provincial Police have initiated criminal proceedings against 31 defendants for smuggling, seizing 1,239 diamonds, along with significant quantities of gold, jewelry, and assets with unproven legal origins.
Among the previously indicted defendants are Dang Ngoc Thao, Director of PNJ-LAB Appraisal Company Limited, and several owners of gold, silver, and gemstone businesses in TP HCM, including Le Thi Ngoc My, 66, Director of Kim Ly Gold, Silver, and Gemstone Company Limited; Nguyen Thi Lien, 46, Director of Ngoc Tam Company Limited; and Hoang Thi Thanh Nga, 46, Director of NCA Investment Company Limited.
Thanh Hoa Provincial Police are continuing to expand the investigation to clarify the roles of all organizations and individuals involved in this transnational smuggling ring.
Le Hoang
