The Hanoi Investigative Police late yesterday, January 4, issued a decision to prosecute and temporarily detain Nguyen Kim Hung, alias Hung “Kinh”, head of a goods loading team in the city’s Long Bien market, to investigate his appropriation of property related to protection racket operations at the market, Thanh Nien Online newspaper reported.

A view of Long Bien market in Hanoi. Nguyen Kim Hung, alias Hung “Kinh”, head of a goods loading team at the market, was detained on January 4 for his stealing of property related to protection racket operations 

According to Colonel Nguyen Van Vien, deputy head of the municipal Investigative Police Agency, Hung, a resident of the city’s Hoan Kiem District, was detained in accordance with Clause 170 of the 2015 Penal Code.

Also, the municipal investigative police pressed the same charges against four members of the team, including Nguyen Huu Tien (alias Bald Tien), Duong Quoc Vuong (alias Piggy Vuong), and Nguyen Manh Long (alias Tall Long), who all reside in Hanoi.

Investigators said that Hung had three previous convictions. Officials said he was the gang leader, along with the four accused, forcing merchants at the market to pay them protection money worth hundreds of millions of dong.

Earlier, in mid-September last year, Vietnam Television and other media outlets worked undercover to expose the protection racket at Long Bien market.

It was reported that merchants had to pay VND250,000 each time they unloaded goods from trucks to sell at the market. If they did not pay, the gang would threaten the uncooperative merchants by blocking their kiosks with cars, throwing foul-smelling chemicals into the kiosks or even assaulting merchants.

Notably, the gang also threatened merchants and reporters who reported the protection racket to police.

Further, the People’s Committee of Ba Dinh District suspended the deputy head of the market’s Management Board and asked the board to order a stop to its two goods loading teams, as it seeks to reorganize the management of the market.

SGT