Vietnam, Cambodia strengthen anti-drug cooperation

Addressing the event, Major General Nguyen Van Vien, Director of the Counter-Narcotics Police Department (C04) ) under the Public Security Ministry, said the cooperation between Vietnam and Cambodia has been fruitful.

Last year, the C04 coordinated with the Anti-Drug Crime Department under Cambodia's Ministry of Interior to raid four major drug trafficking rings. Police in 10 localities along the Vietnam-Cambodia border detected more than 2,000 other cases involving more than 3,000 persons.

Lieutenant General Khing Sarat, Director of the Anti-Drug Crime Department of Cambodia, highlighted the efficiency of information exchange between the two sides at national and local levels in recent years. As a result, Cambodian authorities conducted a spate of successful raids, arrested suspects, and seized a variety of elicit drugs.

He said that in order to further the effectiveness of anti-drug crime activities along the Vietnam-Cambodia border, the Cambodian side will continue to focus on fine-tuning investigation into major cases to hunt down ring leaders. They will also endeavour to strengthen measures to control the import and trading of precursor chemicals to elicit drugs.

Major General Vien said that the two should increase the exchange of drug-related information in a regular, accurate and timely manner through hotlines between the two countries and Border Liaison Offices (BLO) in border localities.

In the time to come, the C04 will coordinate with Cambodian police to conduct joint anti-drug operations and arrest criminals, he said, adding that currently, 16 such criminals are on the run in Cambodia.

Regarding the situation in Ho Chi Minh City, Colonel Hoang Tam Hieu, Deputy Director of C04, said that the main source of drugs in the city is from the "Golden Triangle" area through Cambodia and smuggled across the border into Vietnam to be sold inside the country, especially Ho Chi Minh City, and transported to third countries and territories such as Australia, Taiwan (China) and Japan.

He said that recently, many foreigners, mostly Taiwanese, have abused Vietnam's openness and loopholes in entry-exit and import-export management to form fake companies to produce and sumggle drugs.