Police forces operating in Lao Cai province declared on August 9 that they have moved to prosecute two suspects for assisting people to illegally cross the border between Vietnam and China.

Two suspects at the police station (Photo: Lao Cai Police) 

According to an investigation conducted by local police, officers at the Lao Cai International Border Gate on July 16 noticed a suspicious taxi as it was in the process of travelling from Lao Cai to Hanoi. Upon stopping the vehicle, guards discovered four Chinese nationals inside.

It was among this group that police were able to pick up two of the trafficking ring’s leaders, with the pair later identified as Phung The Anh of Bao Thang district and Vang Seo Xoa of Muong Khuong district.

Upon being questioned by police, the two suspects admitted that between July 6 and July 15 they had hired a nine-seater car to illegally bring 44 Chinese nationals into the country, earning a total of CNY71,000, equivalent to VND240 million, from their activities.