A police officer seals off Halong Canfoco’s warehouse in Hai Phong City, northern Vietnam during a diseased pork investigation. Photo: Tien Nguyen / Tuoi Tre
The official was identified as Tran Thi Huong, 52, deputy head of the mobile fisheries vessel monitoring and quarantine station at the Sub-Department of Fisheries, Animal Husbandry and Veterinary Services, under the city’s Department of Agriculture and Environment.
The municipal People’s Procuracy on Wednesday approved an extension of Huong’s initial period of detention to continue the investigation into the alleged bribery.
Huong, who lives in An Bien Ward, turned herself in to the city’s police investigation agency after news broke about diseased pork being used by Halong Canfoco, a major Vietnamese canned food producer headquartered in Hai Phong.
She reportedly admitted to issuing a fraudulent quarantine certificate that allowed Halong Canfoco to facilitate the sale of its products to other provinces, in exchange for approximately VND70 million (US$2,700).
Alongside Huong, Le Nhat Huy, 36, a customer service employee at Halong Canfoco, also surrendered to police.
The case is linked to broader prosecutions against Halong Canfoco’s leadership.
On Wednesday, the Hai Phong People’s Procuracy approved charges against Truong Sy Toan, CEO at the company, for “lack of responsibility causing serious consequences.”
Three other company employees involved in quality control, including Pham Thi Thuy Lan, Bui Thi Thoan, and Lai Thi Thanh Huong, were also charged with “violating food safety regulations.”
According to the municipal People’s Procuracy, these individuals were directly responsible for inspecting and assessing the safety and quality of pork products before they were stored and entered the company’s production process.
However, they allegedly overlooked critical steps in inspecting and supervising the quality of raw materials supplied to Halong Canfoco, enabling contaminated or unsafe meat to be introduced into the factory’s production lines.
The case has drawn widespread attention in Vietnam after authorities discovered large quantities of contaminated pork in its supply chain.
On September 8 last year, Hai Phong police discovered two trucks transporting 1,274.5 kilograms of pork of unknown origin that showed signs of spoilage and later tested positive for African swine fever.
Subsequent searches led authorities to seal four cold storage warehouses containing over 130 metric tons of frozen pork linked to Halong Canfoco, all of which was later destroyed.
On September 12, investigators launched criminal proceedings for violations of food safety regulations.
On December 24 the same year, investigators issued decisions to prosecute nine suspects for supplying and trading food originating from dead or sick pigs infected with African swine fever.
By January 10, the company’s CEO Truong Sy Toan and three quality control employees were arrested for their alleged roles in managing, storing, and using diseased pork in production.
Following the emergency arrest of its leader, the company announced a short-term suspension of manufacturing operations at the Ha Long Canned Food Factory in Hai Phong for no more than 14 days, starting from January 12.
Founded in 1957 in Hai Phong under its original name ‘Halong Canned Food Factory,’ Halong Canfoco was once a pioneer and leading enterprise in Vietnam’s processed food industry.
According to information published on its website, after nearly 70 years of operation, the company has developed an ecosystem consisting of three factories and three offices supporting its manufacturing and business activities.
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