Lao drug smugglers arrested after chase in Vietnam
Police in central Vietnam have arrested two Lao men for allegedly smuggling drugs from Laos' capital Vientiane into the country, the Vietnam Police newspaper reported.
Van Xay Ha, 22, was caught carrying one kilogram (2.2 pounds) of crystal methamphetamine, 16,000 pills of synthetic drugs and a homemade gun across the border on March 1.
The man initially managed to escape by jumping down a cliff but still fell into the hands of police and border guards in the central province of Nghe An, 300 kilometers (196 miles) south of Hanoi.
Expanding their investigation, police arrested My Bun Ha, 27, on March 2 while he was trying to sell drugs to local people in the same province's Huong Son District.
The Lao men testified that they had brought the drugs from Vientiane to sell in Vietnam.
Police are still conducting further investigations.
Vietnam has some of the world’s toughest drug laws. Those convicted of possessing or 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.
Although the laws are strictly enforced with capital punishment handed down regularly, drug running continues in border areas. Several drug raids are reported at the Vietnam-Laos border every month.
