Four suspected human trafficking rings identified: police officer

Police in the Mekong Delta province of An Giang have identified four suspected human trafficking rings based on the testimony of 40 Vietnamese people who escaped from a Cambodian casino (Photo: VNA) 

An Giang (VNA) – Police in the Mekong Delta province of An Giang have identified four suspected human trafficking rings based on the testimony of 40 Vietnamese people who escaped from a Cambodian casino.

"These rings operate across many provinces and cities with accomplices in Cambodia to bring Vietnamese people across the border to illegally work in casinos," said Colonel Dinh Van Noi, Director of the provincial Department of Public Security.

An Giang police have sent a report to the Ministry of Public Security and the Criminal Police Department to coordinate with provinces and cities where these human trafficking rings operate and investigate the case.

“Cambodian authorities are also actively cooperating with us to investigate human trafficking cases which involve forcing Vietnamese labourers to work overtime, unpaid wages, and physical abuse,” he said.

On August 18, 40 Vietnamese nationals, including 35 males and five females, were arrested by An Giang border guards after swimming across Binh Di River to illegally enter Vietnam from Cambodia.

According to their testimony, they had escaped from a casino in Sampeou Poun commune, Kaoh Thom district, Kandal Province in Cambodia where they claimed they were constantly forced to work overtime without any payment.

Initial investigations found that six of the 40 were illegally taken to Cambodia by Nguyen Thi Le, born in 1980, and Le Van Danh, born in 1988, both residents of Long Binh town of An Phu district in An Giang province.

The provincial Department of Public Security's Investigation Security Agency arrested the duo on August 22 to investigate the act of "organising illegal exits".

Le confessed that around May this year, she was asked by an unknown man to take part in illegally smuggling people out of Vietnam into Cambodia. Le then worked with Danh to organise the illegal exits. Danh took people to the river bank on the Vietnamese side and Le transported them to Cambodia. The pair were paid 100,000 VND (4.27 USD) per person successfully trafficked into Cambodia.

In addition to the six people, Le also admitted that she and Danh had organiseded many other illegal exits for people to work in Cambodian casinos.

The Border Guard Command of An Giang province said on August 23 that the Long Binh Border Guard Station in An Phu district has handed over the case to the provincial Investigation Security Agency./.