Binh Thuan Police announced a special project to destroy large-scale gold mining sites

On April 26, Colonel Nguyen Van Loan, Head of the Crime Investigation Department on corruption, economics and smuggling (PC03) of Binh Thuan Provincial Police announced the results of the special project to destroy mineral exploitation and gold laundering. illegally in Ngach Dao Giua area, Phan Son commune, Bac Binh district.

Accordingly, through the work of understanding the situation, PC03 Provincial Police discovered mineral exploitation activities in Phan Son commune, Bac Binh district (adjacent to Duc Trong district, Lam Dong province) in 2023.

The case shows signs of criminal activity, the suspicion is that dump trucks were used to transport minerals from Duc Trong direction to Bac Binh district for gathering, then organizing the use of chemicals for cleaning and classification. , recover gold.

Bac Binh District People’s Committee directed an inspection, but the results were only administrative. After a period of verification, PC03 Provincial Police established a Special Project to fight and destroy cases showing signs of buying, selling, storing, and illegally using toxic substances and violating regulations on resource exploitation.

With the direct direction of Colonel Le Quang Nhan – Director of the Provincial Police and Colonel Dinh Kim Lap – Deputy Director, Head of the Provincial Police Department; On December 9, 2023, more than 150 officers and soldiers from the Economic Police force, Bac Binh District Police and some police units, Department of Natural Resources and Environment simultaneously deployed troops to Implement the crime solving plan.

The police discovered that four people, Nguyen Manh Hoang, Le Quoc Bao, Nguyen Van Tien, Nguyen Van Binh (both residing in Da Loan commune, Duc Trong district), led the group with 27 people carrying out this activity.

Based on the investigation results and expert conclusions, it is shown that the samples seized at the scene where the violation occurred are composed of gold metal minerals, and also contain toxic ingredients (hydrogen). mercury, soda ash – Sodium Hydroxide, Nitric Acid – HNO3), on December 21, 2023 issued a Decision to prosecute four criminal cases.

Police prosecuted 13 defendants, ordered 12 suspects to be temporarily detained, and banned one defendant from leaving his residence for violations of regulations on resource exploitation and illegal trading, storage, and use. toxic.

After that, continuously deployed working groups with more than 100 officers and soldiers to coordinate with Lam Dong Provincial Police to organize searches at many locations in Lam Dong province and other localities to expand the investigation and clarify. criminal acts of the subjects.

“After a period of fighting and destroying the Special Case, up to now the Special Case Committee has prosecuted and arrested the masterminds, leaders and accomplices who practiced and actively assisted in the case that occurred in Ho Chi Minh City. Phan Son commune, Bac Binh district, Binh Thuan province and Da Quyn commune, Duc Trong district, Lam Dong province.

During the investigation process, there was enough evidence to prove the criminal acts of 13 people according to Articles 227 and 311 of the 2015 Penal Code (amended and supplemented in 2017)” – Colonel Loan said.

According to the Head of PC03 Department of the Provincial Police, only in the period from July 2023 to December 2023, Nguyen Manh Hoang, Nguyen Van Tien, Le Quoc Bao, together with Nguyen Van Binh and his accomplices, brought excavators and plows. , crushers, screening machines and many types of chemicals gathered at 3 locations in Ta Mon village, Phan Son commune to exploit, sort and separate, collecting more than 90 taels of gold of all kinds. This amount of gold was illegally consumed by the mining group, earning more than 3.6 billion VND.

Police Department Police The province temporarily detained three excavators, two plows, 11 screening – crushing – crushing machines, five dynamos – generators, two pickup trucks, many samples, vehicles, tools and chemicals used for mining. , gold separation; confiscated the amount of 650 million VND voluntarily paid by the subjects to overcome the consequences.

“Currently, PC03 coordinates with the Provincial People’s Procuracy to carry out litigation activities, expand investigations, collect documents and evidence, consolidate records, clarify the criminal acts of the defendants, review and prosecute the defendants. release assets to ensure thorough recovery of assets for the state, quickly conclude the investigation of the case, and propose prosecution according to regulations” – Colonel Loan informed.