On the afternoon of August 28, the Criminal Police Department (PC02) of the HCMC Police held a press conference to reveal the bust of the newborn trafficking ring, which was disguised as an adoption service and involved 32 provinces and cities across the country.
Discovery of online newborn trafficking ring
Through a nationwide campaign promoting public crime reporting and monitoring online groups, the HCMC Police uncovered a newborn trafficking ring.
Given the gravity of the case, Lieutenant General Le Hong Nam, Director of the HCMC Police Department, directed the formation of a special task force to focus on the investigation. Major General Mai Hoang, Deputy Director of the HCMC Police Department, was appointed as the head of this task force. The Criminal Investigation Department (PC02), Tan Binh District Police, and other relevant units are also involved. The task force's mission is to verify and address criminal activities quickly, thoroughly handle those involved, and rescue the newborn victims promptly.
The police discovered and detained Nguyen Thi Anh Dao (35, from Nghe An Province), who was found with a 3-day-old baby boy at a hotel in Ward 2, Tan Binh District. Dao confessed to using deceitful methods to adopt the baby, claiming she was infertile and received the child from his biological mother. Dao then sold the baby to a couple in HCMC for VND40 million.
Further investigation revealed a large-scale newborn trafficking network disguised as an adoption service, operating across 32 provinces and cities with the assistance of six intermediaries. The network was run by Dao, Hoang Thi Nhung (42, from Dong Nai Province), Do Thi Thuy Ngan (30, from Hanoi), and Cao Thi Thu Phuong (41, from Hai Duong Province).
Since early 2024, the network used private social media groups to connect with women in difficult situations who could not care for their newborns. The group purchased 16 infants, aged between three days and three months, for prices ranging from VND10 million to VND23 million each. These infants were then resold for VND35-75 million each, generating illicit profits totaling hundreds of millions of Vietnamese dong.
Timely rescue of many trafficked children
To legitimize the trafficking of newborns under the guise of adoption, the network collaborated with a counterfeiting ring led by Phan Phuong Nam (35, from Dong Nai Province). This group arranged for Cuong to obtain fake adoption certificates and birth registrations for the trafficked infants.
During a raid in Bien Hoa City, Dong Nai Province, the police seized 49 tools and thousands of counterfeit documents, including many fake birth certificates. Using this evidence, the HCMC Police formed nine task forces to urgently investigate 84 cases of suspected newborn trafficking across 32 provinces and cities nationwide.
As a result, the authorities promptly rescued the trafficked children and worked with local governments to ensure their protection and care.
Notably, they rescued a 20-day-old baby boy who had been purchased by Vi Thi Anh (38, from Son La Province), who was using the child to delay serving her sentences for drug trafficking, totaling over 12 years and six months.
The HCMC Police reported that within just 30 days of discovering the information, they successfully dismantled the newborn trafficking ring, uncovered the forgery of official documents, and arrested 16 suspects across 32 provinces and cities.
