20 kilos of narcotics seized en route to HCMC

By Duc Thang, Nhat Vy June 10, 2021 | 12:14 am PT

Vo Van Hung and the drugs hidden in tea packets at a police station in HCMC's Binh Tan District, June 10, 2021. Photo by VnExpress/Duc Thang.

HCMC border guards arrested two men traveling with 20 kilograms of synthetic drugs as they entered the city from the Mekong Delta by car.

Vo Van Hung, 39, and Nguyen Ngoc Long, 34, were detained near the gateway to Ho Chi Minh City in Binh Tan District two days ago, the local Border Guard Command announced Thursday.

Long was driving the car, registered in the Mekong Delta’s Dong Thap Province, while Hung was in the passenger seat.

Stopped by border guards near the intersection of Vo Van Kiet and An Duong Vuong streets, both men acted suspiciously and were taken to a police station in An Lac Ward of Binh Tan for investigation.

Inspecting the car, border guards and police found a basket of mangos.

Under the mangos in that basket, they found scores of tea packets, and hidden inside those, synthetic drugs. In all, the drugs weigh around 20 kilos.

Hung, who currently lives in Cambodia, told police he was transporting the drugs from Dong Thap to HCMC for distribution.

Police are investigating the case further.

Vietnam has some of the world’s toughest drug laws. Those convicted of possessing or smuggling more than 600 grams of heroin or over 2.5 kilograms of methamphetamine face death.