Former HCMC policeman gets jail for smuggling $9M worth of goods

Hoang Duy Tien, 38, former police officer under the economic police division of the HCMC police department, was sentenced to prison by the HCMC People’s Court on Saturday. Vo Van Dong, also a former police officer, was sentenced to seven years in prison also for smuggling.

19 other accomplices received jail sentences between 3-11 years, while five business owners were fined a total of VND1.5 billion.

Prosecutors said Tien was the mastermind who hired and instructed employees to smuggle goods. However, his confessions had been important evidence to deal with Dong’s violations, they added. While other accomplices have admitted to their crimes, Dong has not. Nevertheless, the court found that there was enough evidence to charge Dong with smuggling.

Tien had collaborated with business owners who import devices from Japan and China to Vietnam to sell at low prices. The owners would have to pay Tien VND78-90 million, including fees to customs officers to “smoothen the process”, for each imported containers.

Tien had hired people and instructed them to open 47 companies and create profiles for importing goods. He also cooperated with the Dai Minh Viet Control corporation to forge documents and import goods and devices that do not satisfy criteria to be imported.

From September 2019 to May 2021, Tien had imported 1,287 containers with a total value of over VND217 billion. From September to May 2021, Tien also did procedures to transport six containers of smuggled goods, worth over VND900 million, for Dong.