HCMC – The police of Hanoi City’s Nam Tu Liem District have teamed up with the police of HCMC to crack down on a large-scale illegal drug-producing and trafficking ring in HCMC, seizing over 600 kilograms of illicit drugs and materials for production, and many machines and equipment.
The police filed charges against six individuals for allegedly trading illegal drugs, comprising Nguyen Khoa Diem, Duong Van Truong, Ha Quang Chinh, Le Xuan Huy, Nguyen The Ngoc and Ha Quang Hoang, aged between 20 and 26, the police of Nam Tu Liem said on September 25.
Five other traffickers were arrested for further investigation—Le Duc Thinh, Tran Cong Danh, Vo Van My, Pham Quang Trung and Nguyen Ngoc Khanh—who reside in Quang Ngai Province and temporarily live and work in HCMC, Thanh Nien Online reported.
Diem admitted that he bought drugs from a Zalo account named Minh Quan, with the nickname of Le Duc Thinh, aged 28.
The investigation showed that these traffickers had been running the drug production and trafficking ring in HCMC since early 2022.
Thinh has started to import flavored tobaccos and synthetic cannabis to sell them illegally in the city since early 2022. The two items are prohibited in Vietnam.
Thinh imported flavored tobaccos at prices ranging from VND3 million to VND4 million per kilogram but sold each kilogram at VND5-7 million. Meanwhile, synthetic cannabis was imported at VND3.5-4 million per kilogram but sold for VND5-5.5 million per kilogram.
He sold some 40 kilograms of flavored tobaccos and synthetic cannabis each month in the local market and earned a profit of VND100 million.
Thinh also admitted to buying electronic cigarettes and marijuana-related substances from Nguyen Huu Khanh, aged 27, to sell them.
During the investigation, Khanh ran away from his residence, but the police confiscated several drugs and machines for drug production and packaging at the residence.
The police of Nam Tu Liem District are collaborating with other relevant agencies to expand the probe into the massive drug trafficking ring to detain the escaped traffickers.
