Ho Chi Minh City Police reported that following over a month of executing a plan aimed at enhancing the enforcement against violations related to the trade of hazardous and toxic chemicals, particularly cyanide, the department has initiated legal proceedings in five cases involving 17 individuals charged with ‘Illegal trading and storage of toxic substances’.
Concurrently, law enforcement officials confiscated nearly 9,500 kg of cyanide, 315 kg of sulfuric acid, 105 kg of hydrochloric acid, along with various other items. The police are also actively investigating sources of cyanide consumption across 11 provinces and cities, resulting in the recovery of more than 318.5 kg of illegally traded cyanide.
Previously, police officials in Binh Thanh District were informed the death of a woman who died at home on September 12; however, the woman’s neighbors suspected that she committed suicide by taking cyanide. The Ho Chi Minh City Police Department directed Binh Thanh District Police and Binh Chanh District Police to jump into an investigation to clarify the source of the illegal cyanide supply for the woman.
After one day of investigation, the police arrested Phan Minh Trung, born in 1990 in Binh Chanh District. Police investigators have expanded their probe, Binh Chanh District Police arrested three another people who illegally supplied cyanide to Trung.
At the same time, Binh Chanh District Police cracked down a large-scale illegal cyanide trafficking ring, which disguised as chemical trading companies.
According to the investigation, Nguyen Thanh Tai (born in 1994), Ha Van Viet (born in 1983), both residing in District 7, and Khuc Van Hieu (born in 1988), residing in Tan Phu District, established three legal entities. These entities were granted licenses for "Trading in restricted chemicals for production and trading in the industrial sector" by the Ministry of Industry and Trade and the Ho Chi Minh City Department of Industry and Trade, allowing them to import and trade cyanide chemicals.
Following the acquisition of a licensed source of imported cyanide, the group conspired to unlawfully distribute cyanide to clients lacking the necessary business licenses for the purchase and sale of such chemicals. They also neglected to maintain a control ledger for the transaction of toxic substances, aiming to enhance the company's revenue.
During investigations of three warehouses located in Ho Chi Minh City and Long An Province, law enforcement officials confiscated 3,950 kg of cyanide. Preliminary findings indicate that the group had illicitly sold over 400 kg of cyanide to four clients in Ho Chi Minh City, generating a profit of VND40 million and recovered more than 27 kg of cyanide that had already been distributed in the market.
The police force in Ho Chi Minh City established seven working groups to simultaneously inspect 21 locations selling dangerous and toxic chemicals around Kim Bien Market in District 5 on September 25. Thereby, they discovered and seized 433 plastic bottles of cyanide chemical solution; 179kg of cyanide and 8 jars of the toxic chemical Potassium Gold Cyanide 62.8 percent (Potassium yellow cyanide).
Police officials have identified violations related to the trading of chemicals without invoices or documents, of unclear origin, and without the necessary certificates for the production and trading of regulated chemicals in the industrial sector.
The police have now gathered sufficient evidence to prosecute those involving in the case for the crime of ‘Illegal Storage and Trading of Toxic Chemicals’ at Tien Phat Company, Diep Xi plating business household, and Ngan Loi business household while six individuals have been charged with "Illegal Storage and Trading of Toxic Chemicals”.
