Foreign woman arrested for smuggling 5 kilos of cocaine into Vietnam

Kaur Gurcharan Singh Manpal, 44, was caught smuggling 16 tin foiled bags of the illicit drug in both her cabin and checked baggage, the airport’s customs said.

Manpal arrived at the airport at 7:20 p.m. after boarding multiple flights from Malaysia to Colombia, Panama, Brazil and UAE.

Customs officers requested to inspect her baggage out of suspicion. They then found 5.39 kg of cocaine in total.

Manpal has been handed over to Ho Chi Minh City police for further investigation.

Vietnam has some of the world's toughest drug laws. Those convicted of smuggling more than 600 grams of heroin or more than 2.5 kilograms of methamphetamine face the death penalty.

The production or sale of 100 grams of heroin or 300 grams of other illegal narcotics is also punishable by death.