Synthetic drug tablets seized from a trafficking ring in Ho Chi Minh City (Photo: VNA) Hanoi (VNS/VNA) - Vietnamese security forcesare fighting day and night to stop the flow of drugs into the country, saidpanellists during an online conference host by the Vietnam Government Portal onMay 8.
Vietnam is struggling to combat the movement of drugs from the Golden Triangle,an area where the borders of Thailand, Laos and Myanmar meet and one of theworld’s largest drug-producing regions.
Since the beginning of the year, Vietnamese law enforcement officers haveseized more than three tonnes of methamphetamine, one tonne of heroin andmillions of methamphetamine pills. This is an unprecedented amount and it hasattracted the public’s attention, with many linking it to the rampant drugabuse within the country, especially among young people.
International anti-drug organisations claimed that 250 tonnes of drugsoriginate from the Golden Triangle each year, said Colonel Do Ngoc Canh, deputychief of the anti-drug and crime department under the High Command of BorderDefence.
He said drug traffickers traditionally moved their contraband through northernborder provinces such as Son La and Hoa Binh. They often employed locals fromboth sides of the border and protected their convoys with armed bodyguards, whowere frequently willing to open fire on law enforcement forces to avoid arrest.
However, as Vietnamese and Lao security forces intensified their co-operationand efforts to combat drug traffickers on this route over the last 10 years,traffickers have started setting up routes through the central highlands regionand some provinces in the south and south-central parts of the country.
As the criminals move their drugs, a relatively small amount is likely to besold within Vietnam along their route. The rest is smuggled into othercountries, said Colonel Vu Van Hau, deputy chief of drug crime investigationdepartment under the Ministry of Public Security.
As a neighbouring country, Vietnam naturally became a frequent route for drugsfrom the Golden Triangle. The country’s long land borders and its vast watersmake it ideal for drug traffickers to move their products, he said.
Hau said that in most cases, the ringleaders were foreigners. They often runtheir operations under the guise of legitimate businesses.
Large quantities of drugs have been found among products being exported toother countries. In one notable recent case, 276kg of methamphetamine hidden ina plastic container were discovered in the Philippines. The container wasshipped from Cat Lai Port in HCM City.
As for made-in-Vietnam drugs, he said Vietnamese law enforcement can say withsome degree of confidence there is no large-scale domestic drug production atthis time.
Drugs, however, have become a large social issue in recent years with thenumber of both drug-related crimes and addicts on the rise.
In 2018, law enforcement handled 24,500 drug-related criminal cases and arrestedmore than 30,000 involved people.
Recent statistics show there are more than 250,000 drug addicts on record, withthe off-the-record figure expected to be much higher.-VNS/VNA
VNA
