Through information gathering and screening efforts, the Customs Control Team, Region IX, identified a drug trafficking ring transporting narcotics from Thailand and Laos through Huong Hoa district of Quang Tri province, with plans to distribute them across various provinces in Vietnam. Authorities quickly launched a special operation to take down the ring.

From May 19 to 31, 2025 the task force collaborated with anti-narcotics police departments from Quang Tri, Ha Tinh, Hanoi, and Ho Chi Minh City, as well as the Anti-Smuggling Investigation Division under the Department of Customs to carry out the operation. Their joint efforts led to the successful bust of four cases, the seizure of around 30kg of cannabis, and the arrest of three suspects.

According to the Customs force, the traffickers employed highly sophisticated smuggling techniques. Cannabis was packed into candy boxes, then mixed with regular candy and miscellaneous goods to conceal the drugs. These packages were transported from Laos via the Huong Hoa border gate in Quang Tri province and shipped through various transport services to destinations across Vietnam.

To evade detection, the suspects used virtual currencies for transactions, online shipping applications to hire third-party delivery drivers, moved the packages through multiple regions and transportation methods, and deployed individuals to monitor delivery locations and watch for law enforcement.

All seized drugs and arrested suspects have been handed over to the relevant police departments in Hanoi, Ha Tinh, and Ho Chi Minh City for further investigation.

In a related case, on June 20, authorities at the Bo Y International Border Gate of Kon Tum province uncovered a large amount of suspected drugs during entry procedures for passengers arriving from Laos.

During a routine check of a passenger bus, a joint task force comprising customs officers and anti-drug officers discovered a passenger hiding narcotics.

The suspect, a 30-year-old resident of Binh Dinh province, was found in possession of more than 4,200 yellow and green tablets suspected to be drugs, weighing approximately 1.97kg, 93 sachets of suspected liquid drugs, and two bags containing suspected crystal meth.

During preliminary questioning, the suspect admitted that he was hired by a man to smuggle the drugs from Laos into Vietnam for a payment of VND10 million (approx. US$400). All communication was done online without any face-to-face contact.

The case has been transferred to the Bo Y Border Guard Station for further investigation and legal processing in accordance with the law.

Two kg of drugs seized at Moc Bai International Border Gate

VOV.VN - Customs officers at Moc Bai International Border Gate in Vietnam’s southern Tay Ninh province have intercepted nearly two kilograms of illicit drugs hidden inside a backpack, according to the Department of Customs under the Ministry of Finance.