Cambodian caught with 2,000 ecstasy pills in Saigon, arrested

Kouch Pheng Leng, 43, has been taken in for questioning. He is facing charges for "illegally trading narcotic substances" and "trading precursors for illegal manufacture of narcotic substances," crimes punished by up to life in jail.

Cambodian suspect Kouch Pheng Leng. Photo by VnExpress/Nhat Vy

On Monday the Binh Tan District police to the city's west had raided a hotel on Ma Lo Road and found Leng in possession of almost 2,000 ecstasy pills and foreign currency bills.

Leng allegedly confessed to having bought the drug in Cambodia from an unidentified Chinese man at VND100,000 ($4.31) per pill. He brought them to Saigon and sold them for VND150,000 ($6.46) each.

He admitted to often renting hotel rooms in the city to deal drugs to avoid detection.

The investigation is continuing.

Ecstasy pills and foreign currencies seized by the police as evidence in a Saigon hotel. Photo by VnExpress/Nhat Vy

Vietnam has some of the world’s toughest drug laws. Those convicted of possessing or smuggling more than 600 grams of heroin or cocaine or more than 2.5 kg of methamphetamine could face capital punishment.

The production or sale of 100 grams of heroin or 300 grams of other illegal narcotics is also punishable by death.

Also in Saigon, last week a Vietnamese Australian man received a life sentence for being part of a ring that had trafficked over 3.1 kilograms (6.8 pounds) of heroin from Vietnam to Australia.

Five Vietnamese accomplices were sentenced from 30 years to life for the same crimes.