14 illegal gold miners caught red-handed in north-central Vietnam
Friday, August 11, 2023, 11:23 GMT+7
Police in Thanh Hoa Province, north-central Vietnam caught 14 people mining gold illegally at a hill owned by a local household in Cam Tam Commune, Cam Thuy District, the provincial police department confirmed on Thursday morning.
The gold miners, all of whom are not Thanh Hoa residents, were found to have conspired with Nguyen Manh Hung, the owner of the hill, to carry out the unlawful mining operation.
Authorities discovered that the mining group had set up four-meter-high walls around the land, constructed iron-framed huts with sheet metal roofing, dug 30-meter-deep tunnels, and installed water pipes, an electrical substation, and large-capacity generators at the site.
These installations triggered concerns from local villagers.
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| A tunnel was dug to serve the illegal gold mining operation. Photo: Supplied |
According to local residents, the illegal mining operation has drained groundwater in the area, thereby emptying wells and putting a significant strain on daily life in the commune.
Pham Hai Lang, chairman of the Cam Tam Commune administration, said the illegal mining operation took place at a garden that the Hung family was authorized to manage and use for the cultivation of perennial trees.
However, Hung leased over four hectares of the land to Pham Ngoc Hao, a resident of Thu Duc City under Ho Chi Minh City, to carry out an illegal gold mining operation.
The province’s police force for environmental crime prevention and control is continuing to investigate the illicit gold mining operation.
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| Nguyen Manh Hung, who leased a plot of agricultural land where the illegal mining operation took place, is questioned by police officers in Thanh Hoa Province, north-central Vietnam. Photo: Supplied |
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