Customs authorities seized 12.5 kg of ecstasy hidden inside cartons and speakers

Ecstasy was hidden inside cartons. Photo: T.H

On 26/6, the Anti-Drugs Enforcement Unit of HCM City Customs Department was assigned to coordinate with the Express Customs Branch, Unit 6 – Anti-smuggling and Investigation Department – General Department of Vietnam Customs, C47 – Ministry of Public Security, for conducting physical inspection of 4 packages which were sent via international airmail. Then they discovered 4.5kg of ecstasy contained inside each package.

Earlier, the working group searched four packages which were sent by express delivery and seized more than 8 kg of ecstasy. Thus, with only this special project, the HCM City Customs Department of Ho Chi Minh City has arrested about 12.5 kg of ecstasy.

Attending and watching customs officers investigate the packages, we could see clearly the subject’s sophisticated tricks. At first glance, the packages are not particularly suspicious, even when they are opened to see inside the package. They are just household items such as clothes, toys, shoes, speakers ... but when the Customs officers detected thousands of drugs hidden in the carton box, in the bowels of the speakers, it showed the sophisticated tricks of drug smugglers.

Thousands of narcotic tablets were pressed onto two-sided tape, spread in a thin layer and put in between the layers of the carton. Customs officers had to use little sharp knives to cut into each carton, and then prize each tablet out in order to remove from the tape.

For the speakers containing narcotics, the subjects wrapped the narcotics packages using tape, tucked in the bowels of the speakers and re-inserted as normal. The customs officers had to use screw drivers to remove each screw to open a pair of speakers, and seized more than 5 kg of narcotics.

Hundreds of ecstasy tablets were seized. Photo: T.H

According to Mr. Huynh Nam, Head of the Anti-Drugs Enforcement Unit – HCM City Customs Department, through information gathering, in March 2018, the unit advised the leaders to set up the special project E318 on the fight against imported ecstasy (MDMA) from European countries to Ho Chi Minh City through the international airmail and express delivery, hidden under the form of private non-commercial gifts.

Accordingly, the international drug traffickers use conspiracy to send their names on bills of lading at unreal addresses, or real addresses, but the apartments have more than 600 apartments, or to coffee shops ... so the work of verification is very difficult, even impossible. With these tricks, the subject can shirk responsibility when the authorities detect the case. If it works smoothly, the object then finds a way to hook up to transport the drugs, because the goods are sent in the form of courier home delivery.

Prior to that, in quarter 4 of 2017, also on this transport route, the Anti-Drugs Enforcement Unit also planned and presided over the arrest of 4 cases, seized about 1.4 kg of ecstasy. Then they coordinated with C47B to expand the case, arresting two subjects involved.

All the evidences have been sealed, waiting for the processing by the authorities.

These are the excellent feats of the HCM City Customs Department’s response to the Prime Minister's initiative in "Action month of drugs prevention and Day of civil defense against drugs (26/6).