Vietnamese police have prosecuted 18 people for smuggling over three tons of gold worth about US$212.5 million from Laos to Vietnam, and two others for tax evasion in connection to the gold smuggling ring.

The police investigation agency of the Ministry of Public Security has uncovered the case of smuggling of gold in large quantities in northern Quang Tri Province and the related tax evasion at Hanoi-based Phu Quy Gold Investment Joint Stock Company, Lieutenant General To An Xo, the ministry’s spokesman, reported Saturday.

The 18-member gold smuggling ring was led by Nguyen Thi Hoa, a Quang Tri resident, while the tax evasion was committed by Le Xuan Tung, chairman of the board of directors cum general director of Phu Quy, and a woman named Le Thuy Quynh.  

All these 20 defendants have been bailed but banned from leaving their residence, the spokesperson said.  

According to initial investigation results, Hoa and Nguyen Thi Gai, one of her accomplices, organized and operated their ring to buy gold from Laos and bring them into Vietnam via Lao Bao border gate in Quang Tri.

The ring smuggled more than three tons of gold worth around VND5 trillion ($212.5 million) from early 2022 until it was recently busted, the official said.

The ring then sold the smuggled gold to many jewelry shops in Vietnam to earn illegitimate profit.

Meanwhile, Tung and Quynh had been found having connections with the ring and also committed related tax evasion totaling VND6.145 trillion ($261.2 million).

In order to evade tax, they had directed their staff to make false tax declarations and finalizations for 2021, police said.

The investigation police agency is expanding their investigation into the case and has blocked and distrained a lot of properties of the defendants to ensure recovery of the evaded tax amount.

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