Car transporting drugs with logo of Vietnam Television

More than 4kg of drugs were hidden inside package of cat food that were seized by HCM City Customs in the end of March 2021.

Cunning tricks

According to Brigadier General Nguyen Van Vien, Director of the Drug-related Crime Investigation Police Department, due to drug-related crimes in the world and the region, it led to the complex development of drug-related crimes in Vietnam, especially in HCM City, the Vietnam-Cambodia border line and key southern provinces. Drug prevention and control in these areas still faced many limitations and not meeting actual requirements.

In the implementation of Plan No. 486 of the Ministry of Public Security, the Drug-related Crime Investigation Police Department and police in 18 provinces and cities, including: HCM City, Binh Duong, Dong Nai, Kon Tum, Gia Lai, Dak Lak, Dak Agriculture, Binh Phuoc, Tay Ninh, Long An, Dong Thap, An Giang, Kien Giang, Thanh Hoa, Nghe An, Ha Tinh, Quang Binh and Quang Tri have strengthened their forces and vehicles, performed tasks and use synchronously professional measures to proactively grasp the situation, identify complex points of sale and purchase, illegal use of narcotics, successfully establish and fight many projects on inter-provincial and transnational drugs, expanding investigations into drug cases and pursuing wanted suspects that are hiding.

Brigadier General Nguyen Van Vien, Director of the Drug-related Crime Investigation Police Department made a presentation at the conference.

Police of 18 provinces checked and identified 106 key routes and 169 complex areas and 2,000 suspects of drug-related crimes in HCM City, Vietnam - Cambodia border area and other key southern provinces.

Through drug trafficking cases discovered in recent years, the hidden tricks of drug criminals are extremely sophisticated and cunning, they hide and disguise drugs in packaging, food package, in iron cylindrical vessel intestines, engines of used car and hidden in large stone blocks.

Recently, authorities also discovered someone transporting drugs in a car with the logo of Vietnam Television to camouflage.

According to the leader of the Drug-related Crime Investigation Police Department, the masterminds are not directly responsible for drug delivery. They take advantage of the advances of science and technology, use many mobile phones, frequently change sims, exchange signals, and slang to operate the trading and transporting of illegal drugs. They also use social networking sites such as Facebook, Zaloand Wechat to communicate with each other, making it difficult to detect, investigate and handle.

Most drugs transported to a third country

According to the Drug-related Crime Investigation Police Department, after being transported to gather in HCM City, drugs would be continue to be transported by "centipede" to all provinces and cities. However, domestic drug consumption is only a small part, most drugs are transported by sea, post and air to a third country for consumption.

After three months of implementing Plan 486, the police force cooperated with the Border Defence force, Customs, and Coast Guard to hit the right lines, destroyed many major complex drug cases, cross-country related to the above 18 areas, arresting many people who instigated, led and seized large quantities of narcotics.

A total of 1,191 cases were handled (including 65 specialised cases), with 1,662 arrests made. The exhibits seized included nearly 116,000 pills, more than 590 kg of synthetic drugs, 100 bricks and 65 kg of heroin, 60 kg of marijuana, 5,000 cannabis plants, 3.4 kg of cocaine, one grenade, eight guns, 147 bullets and many other documents and exhibits. There were successful arrests of 16 wanted subjects of dangerous and extremely dangerous drugs, including those who have been wanted for 24 years. Local police had fought to destroy 256 points, 11 locations and arrest 432 related subjects.

In the future, the drug-related crime situation in Vietnam as well as in the world will continue to be complex and unpredictable; operation tricks are increasingly sophisticated and cunning, not only within a country but also in the world with transnational links. The operation will be in a "gangster" style, lines of buying and selling or transporting narcotics illegally equipped with weapons and ready to fight against forces when they are detected or arrested. This is considered a non-traditional security risk. In particular, the number of drug addicts and drug users has increased rapidly and alarmingly, the age of drug users is getting younger. The battle front of the drug-related crime investigation force is becoming more and more fierce.

Brigadier General Nguyen Van Vien said the Drug-related crime Investigation Police Department and the 18 local Police Departments will strengthen coordination with professional units under the Ministry of Public Security and Border Defence force, Customs and Coast Guard to perform well in international cooperation, synchronously implement professional measures, actively grasp the situation and step up the fight with criminal lines and gangs, with the motto of preventing from remotely drug illegally transporting into Vietnam, and being determined not to let Vietnam become an international drug transit point.

Along with that, focusing on solving points of sale and organisation, forcing and enticing others to illegally use drugs, causing public frustration, especially at business establishments with conditions on security and order such as bars, karaoke, apartment buildings and resorts. Struggling, preventing lines, organisations of domestic drug production, destroying points of planting trees containing narcotic substances.