On 14/4, authorities indicted and detained Trang, along with six accomplices. The Ho Chi Minh City Police's Economic Police Department is investigating them for environmental pollution and illegal invoice trading.
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Le Thi Thuy Trang (fourth from left) and accomplices. *Photo: Ho Chi Minh City Police*
Since early 2024, Trang established and operated an "ecosystem" of multiple legal entities, including: Cong ty TM Thinh Phat, Cong ty Thinh Phat, Cong ty An Binh, and Cong ty Dat Xanh Mien Nam. She avoided legal responsibility by hiring others to serve as directors and legal representatives.
Investigators determined that Trang's group exploited waste treatment permits to sign contracts for collecting sludge, coal slag, and stone powder from textile dyeing, tanning, paper, and food production factories in Ho Chi Minh City and southern provinces at low prices. Instead of transporting the waste to treatment plants as required, Trang instructed drivers to illegally dump it or use it for landfill at vacant plots.
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One of the waste storage sites used by the network. *Photo: Ho Chi Minh City Police*
In some cases, to evade authorities, drivers performed "dummy maneuvers" by transporting waste to Cong ty Dat Xanh Mien Nam's warehouses. There, the waste was either left untreated or superficially mixed before being illegally transported for dumping.
Investigation results confirmed that the network illegally dumped over 20,000 tons of waste at 11 locations in Ho Chi Minh City, Dong Thap, and Tay Ninh.
Forensic conclusions from the Institute of Criminal Science, Ministry of Public Security, indicated that all the material was industrial solid waste, requiring strict treatment before environmental disposal.
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Police search waste dumping sites. *Photo: Ho Chi Minh City Police*
To legalize the large quantity of waste that "disappeared" from records, Trang allegedly instructed her accountant to purchase hundreds of fraudulent value-added tax invoices from Cong ty Thanh Lap. Trang paid a fee of 3.2% to 6% of the total invoice value to create input documents and balance accounts for her illicit activities.
Quoc Thang
