Ha Tinh Provincial Police in central Vietnam, in coordination with authorities from several other provinces and cities, have successfully dismantled a transnational gambling and money laundering ring led by a group of individuals from Taiwan (China).
Investigators identified the five ringleaders as Chang Chia Hsien (31), Yu Li Hao (28), Pan Kun Yen (34), Hsueh Wei Chung (32), and Lin Huy Mei (25).
To facilitate their operations, the group rented multiple units across three apartment complexes in Ho Chi Minh City to serve as command centers. At these locations, the foreign nationals directly managed and supervised Vietnamese staff members.
According to initial investigation results, the ring began operating in April 2026. To conceal their criminal activities and evade detection, the suspects established strict security protocols.
The group hired several Vietnamese citizens to register phone SIM cards under their own names, which were then used to open a series of bank accounts at various credit institutions. Each account was granted a transaction limit ranging from VND1billion to 3 billion ($38,000-114,000).
Notably, to erase the money trail, the suspects instructed employees not to use phone numbers that matched those registered for the bank accounts, creating significant challenges for official tracking efforts.
The investigation revealed that this system specialized in providing money laundering services for online gambling portals operating both within and outside of Vietnam.
In just over two months—from April 2026 to the present—the ring utilized 266 bank accounts to circulate illegal funds with a total transaction value exceeding VND1 trillion (over $38 million).
After gathering sufficient evidence, in early June 2026, the Criminal Police Division of Ha Tinh Provincial Police mobilized dozens of officers to coordinate with local police in multiple regions. They conducted simultaneous raids and summoned 36 involved suspects across Ho Chi Minh City, Hanoi, Ha Tinh, Lam Dong, and Da Nang.
During the searches, authorities seized 56 personal mobile phones, 266 specialized phones dedicated to money laundering operations, three laptops, and various related documents and evidence.
The Ha Tinh Provincial Police Investigation Bureau has officially initiated legal proceedings and charged the defendants to further investigate the gambling and money laundering activities in accordance with the law.
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