Police in Ho Chi Minh City coordinated with their colleagues in several other localities to smash a ring transporting and trading six metric tons of firecrackers, all banned in Vietnam, detaining 13 people.

The firecrackers were meant to be consumed during the Lunar New Year holiday, or Tet, in February 2024.

The Ho Chi Minh City Police on Sunday arrested and launched legal proceedings against Tang Quoc Tien, 45; Dang Duy Linh, 31; and Danh Tich, 33, all residing in southern Kien Giang Province; Nguyen Dang Thanh, 33, living in Binh Tan District, Ho Chi Minh City; and nine others for allegedly trading, storing, and transporting banned goods.

From August this year, the group transported and traded nearly six metric tons of firecrackers in Ho Chi Minh City, southern Ca Mau and Long An Provinces, as well as northern Vinh Phuc Province and Hanoi.

Ho Chi Minh City police officers caught Thanh red-handed transporting five boxes of firecrackers on August 29.

They later cooperated with policemen in Kien Giang to apprehend Tien, Linh, and Tich, who carried firecrackers from Kien Giang to Ho Chi Minh City and other provinces for consumption.

They hid firecrackers in styrofoam boxes containing dried fish with information on the receivers written on the boxes.

The firecrackers were concealed at a coffee shop owned by Thanh in Ho Chi Minh City before being given to retailers through online delivery services.

The Ho Chi Minh City police then coordinated with police in Ca Mau, Long An, Vinh Phuc, and Hanoi to arrest six others involved in the firecracker delivery and purchase.

Within 10 days, police officers raided 11 locations and confiscated nearly six metric tons of firecrackers.

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