On June 20, the Krông Ana District Police in Đắk Lắk Province reported that the district’s criminal investigation unit had executed arrest warrants to temporarily detain Trần Thị Lãm (56), owner of the Yên Hòa coffee agency in Ea Bông Commune, Krông Ana District.
According to the initial investigation, Lãm accepted coffee for consignment and then embezzled over 90 tons of coffee beans—worth more than 2.3 billion VND—from 34 local households, along with more than 600 million VND in cash she had borrowed from other residents.
Earlier, the Krông Ana District Police had also arrested Nguyễn Văn Nam (42), a resident of Tân Lập Hamlet, Ea Na Commune, Krông Ana District. Nam, owner of the Nam Hải coffee agency, allegedly abused the trust of local farmers, taking in over 54 tons of coffee beans on consignment and borrowing more than 60 million VND, then closing his agency and refusing to repay either the coffee or the loans.
These two cases stand out as rare examples where, among numerous coffee-agency collapses in Đắk Lắk, the authorities have not only opened criminal investigations but have formally charged and detained the agency owners for fraud.