Nearly 200 officers from the Criminal Police Department, various units of the Ministry of Public Security, and criminal police divisions in Lai Chau, Ha Tinh, Bac Ninh, and Hai Phong were mobilized to bring down the ring.
According to the ministry, the network was headed by Ngo Quang Vy, 33, residing in Ngoc Kham Hamlet, Lam Thao Commune, Bac Ninh Province. Vy conspired with individuals across multiple provinces, exploiting cyberspace, courier services, and transport companies to manufacture, trade, and stockpile PCP air rifles, gun components, and ammunition.
The group had been operating for an extended period with sophisticated methods and a complex web of connections. To dismantle the ring, police had conducted surveillance and reconnaissance for more than a year under the direction of Senior Lieutenant General Nguyen Van Long.
Initial findings from the Criminal Police Department revealed that authorities seized 58 firearms, around 130,000 lead bullets, thousands of gun parts and core components, along with industrial machinery used for production—such as a lathe, two hydraulic presses, three air compressors, a grinder, a metal cutter, two drills, and other specialized tools and electronic devices. These were all used to assemble, modify, and produce the illegal weapons.
During interrogation, Vy and his accomplices admitted that, attracted by the substantial profits, he began in 2019 by purchasing air guns, lead bullets, and components online. He then moved on to assembling, modifying, and customizing these weapons for resale.
Preliminary estimates suggest the total value of transactions involving Vy’s network amounts to tens of billions of Vietnamese dong. Since early 2025 alone, the group reportedly conducted some 3,500 orders nationwide, with a significant number of buyers from mountainous regions where air rifles are commonly used for hunting.
The Criminal Police Department stressed that this was a large-scale, highly organized network with activities constituting illegal manufacturing, trafficking, and possession of military weapons.
The Investigation Police Agency is continuing to interrogate the suspects to strengthen evidence, while expanding the investigation to uncover additional individuals involved in the operation.
