12 face trial for smuggling 91 kg of drugs from Cambodia to Vietnam

According to an indictment recently completed by the Supreme People's Procuracy and submitted to the People's Court of HCMC, 39-year-old Tran Hoang Tin and 11 accomplices have been charged with illegal drug trafficking and possession.

This case is part of a major transnational drug network operating between Cambodia and Vietnam, dismantled in 2023 by the Ministry of Public Security’s Drug Crime Investigation Department in collaboration with the Border Defense Command.

The indictment shows that in early December 2022, Tin ordered 10 bags of narcotics from Pham Thi Kim Phung, a Cambodian resident, intending to sell them to Cao Thien Phuoc. The drugs were smuggled into Vietnam through the southern province of Dong Thap, hidden inside six air purifiers. However, Phuoc rejected them due to poor quality.

Tin then turned to another supplier, La Gia Cuong, who was also based in Cambodia, and smuggled drugs using the same method. His associates removed the concealed drugs and delivered them to Phuoc, who distributed them to dealers in Ho Chi Minh City and Binh Thuan Province.

Tin also sourced drugs from Nguyen Van Can, another Cambodia-based trafficker, and hired couriers to transport them into Vietnam.

On April 9, 2023, police arrested Can and seized over 21 kg of drugs hidden in a motorcycle and two electric bikes. Expanding the investigation, authorities searched the residences of Tin, Phuoc, and other accomplices in luxury apartments in HCMC and Binh Thuan, seizing an additional 30 kg of drugs.

Investigators confirmed that Tin’s network operated from December 2022 until its dismantling in April 2023. In total, it smuggled more than 91 kg of drugs, with Tin personally profiting VND1.3 billion (US$51,113).

Authorities have classified this as an organized and particularly serious transnational drug trafficking case involving multiple suspects from Vietnam and Cambodia. The group conducted transactions through Telegram, Viber, and WhatsApp, using multiple phone numbers and bank accounts to evade law enforcement.

The date for the trial has not been set.