Massive drug trafficking ring busted in HCM City

HCM CITY - A transnational drug trafficking ring was busted in HCM City on Thursday with the biggest ever haul of heroine seized by city police, the Public Security Ministry’s drug crime investigation unit reported yesterday.

Around 62kg of heroin, two cars and large amount of foreign currency were seized during the raid.

The ring was led by Phạm Hữu Hiệu, 48 years old from central Nghệ An Province.

Hiệu had transported the drugs from Laos through the border province of Quảng Bình, and distributed them to six other dealers.

Police arrested the traffickers while they were exchanging the drugs at an apartment building in Tân Phú District.

In May this year, another massive drug trafficking ring operating between Cambodia and Việt Nam was busted in HCM City, with 103,000 ecstasy pills, 39 packs of heroin and some 30kg of synthetic drugs seized.

According to the ministry, in the first five months of this year, police nationwide confiscated some 880kg of heroine, 500,000 ecstasy pills, 1.3 tonnes of cannabis and 2.5 tonnes of the chewing herb khat.

According to Vietnamese law, people convicted of possessing or smuggling more than 600 grams of heroin or more than 2.5 kilograms of methamphetamine face the death penalty.

Those who produce or sell 100 grams of heroin or 300 grams of other illegal narcotics are also subject to the death sentence. - VNS