The Da Nang City Police have arrested Nguyen Truong Anh Tuan, the ringleader of a major prostitution ring that recruited more than 300 sex workers and generated millions of US dollars in revenue.

On the evening of April 15, Da Nang City Police announced the arrest of the mastermind behind an online prostitution brokerage operating through the messaging platform Telegram.

The suspect, Nguyen Truong Anh Tuan (born in 1985), is originally from Chau Tu village, Binh Nguyen commune, Binh Son district, Quang Ngai province, and currently resides in Hoa Hai ward, Ngu Hanh Son district, Da Nang City.

According to authorities, Tuan created a "digital ecosystem" on Telegram, establishing multiple private groups and channels such as "Lan Que Phuong Da Nang," "Lan Que Phuong Chatroom," "Lan Que Phuong Hotlist," and "Da Nang Love Market" to advertise sex workers.

These posts featured images provided by the sex workers themselves for the purpose of marketing and soliciting clients. Tuan acted as a broker, illegally profiting from these transactions. Thousands of users and accounts were involved.

On April 10, the Director of Da Nang City Police launched a special investigation titled "Prostitution Brokerage in Da Nang City," led by the Criminal Investigation Department and the Cybersecurity Department.

On April 15, the task force arrested Nguyen Truong Anh Tuan and dismantled the prostitution network. Tuan confessed to his crimes during questioning.

He admitted to creating the "Lan Que Phuong" Telegram group in 2022. The group had grown to 14,611 members by the time of his arrest.

Over the course of its operation, Tuan recruited and managed more than 300 sex workers. The price per session ranged from approximately USD 20 to USD 200. Each sex worker was required to pay him a monthly fee between USD 20 and USD 80.

Since 2022, the prostitution transactions within the "Lan Que Phuong" network have totaled several million US dollars. Tuan personally pocketed hundreds of thousands of dollars in illicit profits.

Police are continuing to expand their investigation and pursue other suspects involved in the operation.

Ho Giap