On 16/8, Dat, Nguyen Trung Hieu, Nguyen Ba Vinh, and 5 others were arrested by the Ho Chi Minh City Police Department's Economic Police Division (PC03) for producing and trading counterfeit goods.
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Suspects in the counterfeit gas operation. Photo: Police Department |
Suspects in the counterfeit gas operation. Photo: Police Department
In late July, after a period of surveillance, officers from PC03's Team 2 raided a warehouse on Xuan Thoi Son 35A Road, Xuan Thoi Son Commune (formerly Hoc Mon District). Inside shipping containers, police discovered 5 individuals illegally refilling liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) cylinders.
Investigators identified Dat, Hieu, and Trung as the ringleaders. They confessed to renting the warehouse and empty containers since March, setting up the refilling system, and hiring workers to fill counterfeit gas cylinders, selling hundreds of cylinders daily.
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The land used for the illegal gas refilling operation. Photo: Police Department |
The land used for the illegal gas refilling operation. Photo: Police Department
To date, the suspects have distributed approximately 1,000 tons of counterfeit gas, profiting over 500 million VND.
During searches of multiple warehouses and the suspects' residences, police seized 213 filled gas cylinders, hundreds of empty cylinders, hundreds of thousands of shrink wraps and anti-counterfeit seals, along with gas tankers, pumps, and welding torches. The seized items were used to counterfeit 9 gas brands.
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The gas refilling system set up inside shipping containers. Photo: Police Department |
The gas refilling system set up inside shipping containers. Photo: Police Department
The investigation confirmed that this group and the warehouse were operating without permits or authorization from legitimate gas companies. The shrink wraps and anti-counterfeit seals were also determined to be fake.
Quoc Thang
