The conference was co-chaired by Major General Ngo Thanh Binh, Director of the Vietnam Police Department for Drug-related Crimes, and Lieutenant General Phanurat Lukboon, Secretary-General of the Thai Narcotics Control Board of Thailand.

Over the years, Vietnam–Thailand cooperation has steadily been strengthened across many areas, particularly in security and drug prevention. The two countries signed a bilateral agreement on the control of narcotics, psychotropic substances, and precursors in 1998, laying the foundation for joint efforts in combating drug-related crimes.

Both sides have organised regular annual bilateral meetings, workshops, and training courses, as well as exchanges of expert delegations to enhance the capacity of drug enforcement forces and strengthen information sharing to apprehend individuals involved in illegal drug trafficking affecting both countries.

Through a dedicated hotline connecting the the Vietnam Police Department for Drug-related Crimes and the Thai Embassy’s Counsellor in Hanoi, both countries have rapidly exchanged and processed information on drug-related crimes. In 2024, Thailand apprehended and extradited a high-risk drug fugitive to Vietnam, and in 2025, the two sides coordinated to verify and arrest another wanted drug suspect.

At the conference, delegates discussed the current situation and results of joint drug prevention efforts, shared experiences in addiction treatment and reducing drug demand, and made recommendations to enhance investigative capacity, forensics, traceability of narcotics, and rehabilitation efforts in the future.

To further increase cooperation, Major General Binh proposed maximising the effectiveness of the hotline for rapid information exchange and joint investigation of drug-related cases. He stressed the importance of coordinating major joint investigations on transnational drug crimes, including forming mixed task forces of Vietnamese and Thai officers at crime scenes to conduct inquiries, share intelligence, and dismantle entire trafficking networks, particularly those operating from the Golden Triangle through Laos, Thailand, Cambodia, into Vietnam and other consuming countries.

He also proposed enhancing exchanges on investigative techniques, such as tracking new types of drugs, identifying trafficking routes, understanding smuggling methods, capturing fugitives, and applying effective enforcement measures, including asset seizure.

He reminded that both sides continue to implement the signed Letter of Agreement on law enforcement and drug control, through which Thailand’s support has enabled Vietnam to carry out effective operational campaigns along border areas and strengthen regional drug control.

Lieutenant General Phanurat Lukboon praised the conference’s outcomes and expressed confidence that Vietnam–Thailand cooperation would be further strengthened to meeting the practical demands of addressing the complex drug situation in the region.

Dong Nai police bust cross-border drug ring

VOV.VN - Police in southern Dong Nai province have broken up a cross-border drug trafficking network smuggling narcotics from Cambodia into Vietnam and arrested several individuals, including a particularly dangerous fugitive.