Da Nang police have dismantled a nationwide criminal ring specializing in forging official documents and trafficking a large cache of rudimentary weapons and self-defense tools. Four suspects have been arrested, along with the seizure of hundreds of forged certificates and thousands of weapons.

On April 11, the Criminal Police Division of the Da Nang City Police announced the successful conclusion of an operation targeting a network involved in counterfeiting seals and official papers while simultaneously stockpiling and selling various illegal weapons and tools nationwide.

The investigation began in early March 2025 when police identified several individuals suspected of forging official documents, including fake degrees, certificates, confirmations, and driver’s licenses.

Authorities identified P.V.T (27, residing in Cam Le District, Da Nang) as a key link, acting as a coordinator who received, transported, and delivered forged documents and weapons within the city.

In coordination with the Ministry of Public Security’s Technical Operations Department, investigators traced the ring’s masterminds to southern provinces, including Lam Dong, Long An, and Ho Chi Minh City.

The police determined that Huynh Trong Hiep, a resident of Nhut Chanh Commune in Ben Luc District, Long An Province, was receiving payments from P.V.T.

Further investigation revealed that Hiep worked under Nguyen Pham Duy (28, from Can Duoc District, Long An), one of the ringleaders, who had placed Hiep at a pawn shop in Nhut Chanh as a front for illegal activities.

Duy instructed Hiep to advertise and take orders for forged documents online. Once an order was confirmed, it was passed to other members of the network for production and delivery to clients across Vietnam. Hiep also collected payment for the illicit services.

In addition to document forgery, the ring was found to be trading in a wide variety of homemade and rudimentary weapons. On April 7, police arrested Hiep in Nhut Chanh and seized numerous counterfeit items, including fake land use rights certificates, ID cards, diplomas, and academic certificates.

More alarmingly, police also confiscated 837 weapon-related items, including machetes, bayonet-style knives, long and short tube knives, air guns, pepper spray canisters, electric batons, and expandable batons.

Simultaneously, another team arrested Pham Viet Vinh (30) and Nguyen Thanh Dat (31), both residing in Ho Chi Minh City and linked to the same operation.

Nguyen Pham Duy remains at large. Police are actively working to complete case files and organize his arrest, along with any other accomplices.

In a preliminary confession, Hiep admitted that all the fake documents and weapons had been supplied by Duy for distribution. Since January 2025, the ring is believed to have conducted transactions worth billions of VND through their bank accounts.

Ho Giap