According to police, Vu Anh Tu and 42 accomplices are being investigated for purchasing military-grade firearms, modifying components to make them look new and selling them on social media.

The investigation revealed that in 2023, Tu and other ring members purchased unidentifiable military-grade firearms and imported additional parts from China, Laos and Cambodia. They reconditioned the weapons in Vietnam, marketed them as “imports” and sold them through social media groups.

Hundreds of boxed guns sold by a ring are seized by police in Ha Tinh province. Photo by VnExpress/Duc Quang

To communicate with buyers, the group used single-use SIM cards and fake accounts, delivering the weapons through courier services, transport drivers, passenger buses and even trains.

Police described the operation as a “sophisticated network run by hardened criminals who regularly carried guns”. The group was linked to transnational criminal networks and was prepared to resist arrest or flee to Laos, Cambodia or China if discovered.

Officers in Ha Tinh province, which borders Laos, launched an investigation after discovering that suspects involved in some cases of local attacks and property damage obtained firearms from Tu’s network.

In early November, they coordinated with the Ministry of Public Security and law enforcement officials in various localities, including Ho Chi Minh City and Tay Ninh, which borders Cambodia, to conduct raids that led to his arrest You and his 42 associates.

Guns and bullets sold online by a criminal group. Photo by VnExpress/Duc Quang

Authorities seized 532 firearms, more than 36,000 rounds of ammunition, 211.11 grams of narcotics and two grenades.

Police reported that the ring sold more than 1,000 guns to customers domestically and internationally, generating billions of dong (VND 1 billion = $39,400) in illegal profits. A further investigation is underway.