The most read Vietnamese newspaper
Edition: International | Vietnamese
© Copyright 1997 VnExpress.net. All rights reserved.
The Ca Mau People’s Court on Monday sentenced Quach Thanh Tuan, 40, to seven years in prison; Nguyen Van Cong, 49, to six years; Nguyen Van Phu, 46, to five years; and Duong Hoang Giang, 55, to three years. They were convicted of organizing and brokering illegal immigration.
The scheme began in early 2023 when Tuan contacted Salam, a Malaysian resident, to legitimize documents for his vessel, falsely identifying it as Malaysian. Salam charged VND380 million ($15,470) for the task, requiring Tuan to provide information about the ship and recruit five crew members with passports.
By June 2023, Salam had completed the documents, and Tuan received instructions on modifying the vessel to avoid detection by Malaysian authorities. Tuan then appointed Cong as the ship's captain and enlisted seven fishermen. Giang was hired to transport the vessel to Cong for VND10 million.
On Aug. 9, 2023, Tuan ordered Cong to gather three fishermen and sail toward Malaysian waters. Giang navigated the vessel to a location between Vietnam and Malaysia, where the crew repainted the ship and altered its registration number before docking at a Malaysian port to await Cong and additional fishermen.
Two weeks later, Tuan escorted Cong and four fishermen to Tan Son Nhat Airport in HCMC, where they flew to Malaysia. Cong then used the disguised vessel for fishing, while Giang returned to Vietnam.
In December 2023, four of the fishermen stopped working and returned to Vietnam, prompting Tuan to ask Phu to recruit five more fishermen to travel illegally to Malaysia, offering each VND40 million. Over the following months, five more fishermen joined Tuan's crew.
On July 8, 2024, Vietnamese coast guards intercepted the vessel as it returned from Malaysian waters. Cong was on board as captain, along with 12 fishermen. The ship lacked a tracking device, and both the crew and vessel were detained. The case was subsequently handed over to Ca Mau police.
During their operations, the vessel had sold seafood in Malaysia 21 times, earning RM27,631 ($6,700), and in Vietnam four times, generating VND3 billion. Cong instructed his crew to frequently repaint the ship and change its registration number to avoid detection by Vietnamese authorities.
