VietNamNet Bridge – Police in Hanoi on Monday, Jan 30, caught 26-year-old Dang Minh Tuan carrying 10 ingots of gold, each weighing 1 kg, while failing to show any documents related to the gold.

Dang Minh Tuan is questiond by Hanoi investigators. (Photo: VNE)

Tuan, a native of Nghe An Province’s Vinh City, was stopped at 5:40 am Monday for examination by an anti-smuggling police team at the Nuoc Ngam Bus Station in Hoang Mai District.

On searching his handbag, police officers found the gold, along with an envelope containing 100 Canadian dollars, 300 GBP, and 1,700 Euro.

The arrest was made after a month of investigation, directly led by Colonel Dinh Van Toan, deputy head of the Hanoi Police, on a tip-off claiming that there existed a ring that smuggled gold from Nghe An Province to Hanoi by train or bus.

Based on the markings displayed on the ingots of gold, which are equivalent to 270 taels (324 ounces), the police concluded that the gold originated from abroad.

Tuan, who is temporarily residing in Hanoi’s Lieu Giai District, told to the police that an unidentified trader in Nghe An hired him for VND1 million (US$ 47) to carry the gold and the money to Hanoi.

The police have had all the ingots of gold tested and confirmed that they were real, and worth about VND12 billion ($573,000).

The police are continuing with their investigation to determine the origin of the gold.

VietNamNet/Tuoi Tre