Police bust overloaded-truck protection rings in southern Vietnam The Ministry of Public Security has opened a criminal investigation on two rings that protected overloaded trucks in southern Vietnam.   The ring-leaders Le Thi Cham Van (left) and Tran Van Thoi. Major General Ho Si Tien, Head of the Criminal Police Agency, said these gangs collected VND2.5-VND3 billion ($120,000-$150,000) of protection money from thousands of trucks every month. At least eight suspects have been arrested for investigation of the behavior of "abusing their influence on people in high positions to seek profit". Of them, Tran Van Thoi, 39, and Le Thi Cam Van, 33, both residing in Binh Chanh District were identified as the ring leaders. According to information from the police, they had received complaints of some truck drivers in HCM City and southern provinces such as Binh Duong and Dong Nai that some trucks with strange logos could easily pass through checkpoints of traffic police and traffic inspectors. On August 26, reconnaissance operations of the Ministry of Public Security caught red-handed a man named Nguyen Mai Huu Nhan selling two logos to a truck driver in Binh Chanh district, HCM City for VND5 million (nearly $250). The police then searched some locations in the city and arrested seven others who were suspected as members of the two overload truck protection rings in the city, including the ring-leaders – Van and Thoi. According to the police, Van sold green logos while Thoi sold logos of the Thanh Do garage for truck drivers. With these logos on their vehicles, truck drivers could pass checkpoints of traffic police and inspectors very easily. The logos sold by Van and Thoi. Van confessed that previously she worked in the transport industry so she had good relations with some traffic police officers and traffic inspectors. Based on these relations, Van began selling her own logos in early 2015, at the price of VND2.5 million/logo. Thanks to this logo, overloaded trucks were not stopped by traffic police officers or inspectors. Van also set up a network to monitor the operation of traffic police and inspectors to guide the trucks with her logos to avoid the road where checkpoints were set up. For trucks with Van’s logos which were still inspected by traffic policemen or inspectors, Van’s inferiors would appear to help these vehicles pass the inspection without having to pay fines. Van’s ring sold hundreds of logos each month, earning VND2.5-VND3 billion/month. The network led by Thoi used the same method. The police are expanding an investigation into the case. An Sinh, VNN