$12M smuggling ring of iPhones, iPads busted in HCMC

Ngo Tan Dat, 42, and Nguyen Van Giang, 37, were arrested by police of HCMC on Saturday to be investigated for smuggling.

Officers discovered the group smuggling mobile phones, iPads and laptops from Cambodia to HCMC through the land border. The police caught Giang receiving boxes of goods at an apartment in Ta Quang Buu Street in District 8, before bringing them to a warehouse on Hung Phu Street.

A search at several warehouses, stores and retailers resulted in the seizure of around 4,000 iPhones, hundreds of tablets, laptops and AirTags, along with other relevant documents and data.

Through Giang’s confession, the police also managed to capture Dat, allegedly the mastermind of the smuggling ring.

Dat said he bought the goods from a man in Cambodia, and they would be transferred to HCMC. Dat’s job was to merely sell them at stores and retailers. Dat made payments by converting Vietnamese dong into cryptocurrency.

From the end of 2021, the group smuggled over 22,000 phones, laptops and tablets, with a total value at around VND300 billion, the police said.

An investigation is ongoing.