Editor’s Note
Vietnamese authorities have arrested over 30 individuals in a major diamond smuggling operation, with an estimated value of $11 million. The network allegedly transported more than 28,000 diamonds from India via Hong Kong, concealed in luggage and clothing. Among those detained are Indian nationals, local jewelry traders, and a former executive from a PNJ-owned laboratory.
Vietnamese police have arrested more than 30 people in an investigation into the alleged smuggling of more than 28,000 diamonds from India through Hong Kong, a network that authorities value at about 280 billion dong, or nearly $11 million.
The stones were carried into Vietnam without customs declarations in luggage, clothing and shoes, according to the country’s Ministry of Public Security and reports in Vietnamese media.
Police allege that the group made 141 shipments from 2024, using couriers who entered through international airports including Tan Son Nhat in Ho Chi Minh City, Noi Bai in Hanoi, Da Nang and Phu Quoc.
Indian nationals, Vietnamese jewelry traders and a former executive of a laboratory owned by Phu Nhuan Jewelry, or PNJ, are among those under investigation.
Tuổi Trẻ News identified 32-year-old Indian national Abhishek Deepak Patel as one of the alleged organizers. Police accuse him of managing diamonds and sales proceeds in Vietnam.
Investigators said Trinh Quang Chung, 42, travelled to Hong Kong to collect diamonds before bringing them into Vietnam. Dang Ngoc Son, 21, allegedly delivered the stones to customers in Ho Chi Minh City, Hanoi and An Giang province.
The case initially involved 22 defendants but widened after police made further arrests and searched more than 20 homes, jewelry stores and other locations, mainly in Ho Chi Minh City.
Investigators said the diamonds were divided among buyers after entering Vietnam and passed through traders and intermediaries. Couriers and recipients sometimes used the serial numbers on US dollar notes to confirm deliveries and payments, according to police.
Authorities said they had seized 1,239 diamonds and pieces of jewelry that lacked invoices or documents showing their origin.
Among those arrested was Hoang Thi Thanh Nga, the owner of Ngoc Chau Au jewelry and a designer known for making crowns for Vietnamese beauty pageants. Local media have called her the “queen of the tiara.”
Police are also investigating Dang Ngoc Thao, the former director of PNJ Laboratory, a wholly owned subsidiary of listed jeweler Phu Nhuan Jewelry.
Thao is accused of removing laser inscriptions from smuggled diamonds, engraving new laboratory codes and issuing certificates that allowed the stones to be sold as legitimate goods.
PNJ said the allegations concerned Thao in his personal capacity and did not involve the company. It said none of the 28,000 diamonds cited by investigators had entered its retail system and that it was cooperating with the authorities.
The company’s shares have fallen more than 25% since the arrests were reported in early July, according to The Times.
Police have not named every Indian national detained or disclosed an estimate of the customs duties and taxes allegedly avoided.
Investigators are tracing the source of the diamonds, the movement of sale proceeds and the role of Vietnamese businesses accused of buying or reselling the stones.
No court has ruled on the allegations.