Police have arrested two men, Nguyen Minh Hoang and Nguyen Duc Vu, who police say were important links in a smuggling network via HCM City-based Tan Son Nhat Airport.

Vietnam Airlines staff sentenced

According to police, Nguyen Duc Vu, a ground services officer working in the Tan Son Nhat Airport, was paid by two Vietnam Airlines employees in Australia named Do Thanh Lam and Le Duc To Yen, to help them smuggle goods past customs from August 2002 to May 30 2010. Vu was paid 200 million (US$10,500) between August 2002 and last month, police said.

Nguyen Minh Hoang was accused of taking the smuggled goods from Vu and selling them.

Vu and Hoang are also accused of illegally transmitting Australian dollars from Australia to Vietnam. Hoang confessed to transferring around AUD$1 million from July to December 2009 to addresses fixed by Lam.

Every week, Vu and Hoang transported goods from the airport 3-4 times, bringing 5-9 goods from the airport at a time. They paid customs officers 1-2 million dong/parcel. Smuggled goods were mainly electronic items like the Apple iPhone, laptops, cell phones, and other consumer goods.

Meanwhile, Tien Phong newspaper reported June 16 that around seven flight attendants of Vietnam Airlines were arrested in Australia for illegally transporting 20 iPhones and iPads to Vietnam. This group of people is suspected to be involved in an electronic goods smuggling ring in Australia.

Nguyen Lam