All 10 are now under investigation for forging seals and documents of state and organizations; and for smuggling. Tran Quang Dong, 28, from the southern province of Dong Nai, has been identified as the leader of the ring.

Police in the central province Ha Tinh that borders Laos discovered the ring back in November last year when tracking down counterfeit documents.

They found out later that Dong and his accomplices stole information of many auto owners via social media and from that, forged a series of papers from auto registration to inspection stamps to banking mortgage certificates to bring in autos with no clear origin from Laos into Vietnam as ordered by their clients.

Between late 2018 and March this year, the ring had forged over 400 sets of papers, earning over VND300 million ($12,860).

Police have seized over 300 counterfeit seals, fake registration papers and 26 autos of various types worth more than VND40 billion ($1.7 million) from the homes of the ring members.