In the first case, the police apprehended Doan Nguyen Minh Chau, 30, reported to be higher-up in the drug trafficking ring, when he was leaving the country for China through the Huu Nghi (Friendship) border gate in the northern province of Lang Son.

The police found 349g of heroin hidden in the sole of Chau’s sandals.

From Chau’s testimony, the police seized Phan Thi Thanh Le and eight foreigners from Nigeria and Zimbabwe, who allegedly hired Chau to transport the heroin.

The police were told by the suspects that they had brought heroin from Vietnam to China 19 times since last year, each time carrying between 100 and 400g.

In the second case, the police arrested Nguyen Thi Hanh, a resident of HCM City, when she was about to take 700g of heroin hidden in the buttons of 11 shirts to China.

With Hanh’s declaration and other evidence, the police apprehended two more suspects from Nigeria and the Philippines.

The culprits said that they had transported heroin six times from this country to China since the beginning of this year and were paid US$10,000.

According to statistics from the Ministry of Public Security, so far this year the police have dealt with 6,470 cases of heroin smuggling and arrested 9,208 suspects, of whom 60 were foreigners.