The economic police department of Hai Phong city recently indicted and detained Luu Van Ba, head of the sub-department of livestock and veterinary region I (under the department of livestock and veterinary, Ministry of Agriculture and Environment), along with five subordinates, on charges of bribery. This action is part of a larger investigation into a major seafood smuggling operation.
The ongoing investigation, led by Hai Phong police, has uncovered a vast seafood smuggling ring with goods valued at approximately 1,000 billion VND. To date, authorities have initiated three cases, charging 18 defendants across five categories of offenses. These include smuggling activities totaling nearly 1,000 billion VND, tax evasion exceeding 40 billion VND, and 2,3 billion VND in bribery. Seizures include over 30 tons of goods, 20 vehicles, and 10 billion VND in cash.
Nguyen Thi Thu, 48, a Hanoi resident and director of Sy Hung Seafood Co., Ltd., has been identified as a key figure in the smuggling operation. She faces three charges: smuggling; illegally printing and issuing invoices and documents; and giving bribes. Sy Hung company regularly imported large quantities of sturgeon, softshell turtles, carp, and snakehead fish from Trung Quoc through border gates in Lang Son and Lao Cai. The smuggled goods were then stored at a warehouse in Linh Nam ward, Hanoi.
Current regulations mandate that imported seafood consignments undergo quarantine for one to three days. This period allows quarantine officers to inspect the quantity and health status (alive, dead, or diseased) before issuing a customs clearance certificate. However, to expedite market release and circumvent these required procedures, authorities allege that director Nguyen Thi Thu and her subordinates repeatedly bribed officers from the sub-department of livestock and veterinary region I.
After receiving payments, these officers either skipped actual inspections, drastically reduced inspection frequency, or even permitted businesses to sign blank reports to legalize the issuance of quarantine certificates. Initially, Hai Phong police determined that the total amount of bribes paid to quarantine officers was approximately 1,8 billion VND.
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Number of seals seized in the case. *Photo: Police provided*
In this special investigation, which includes three ongoing cases, Nguyen Kim Oanh, 43, is accused of facilitating border activities. Her role involved organizing boat and vehicle drivers, as well as managing loading, inspection, and surveillance for the smuggling ring. From early 2025 until its discovery, Oanh's ring carried out approximately 630 illegal cross-border transports of crab and pork udder without veterinary quarantine. The total volume exceeded 4,400 tons, valued at about 400 billion VND.
Le Tan
