Police seize 600 kilos of meth in Vietnam

Police guard outside a house in Nghe An Province during a drug bust on April 15, 2019. Photo by VnExpress/Nguyen Hai

Police searched the house in Vinh, the capital town of Nghe An Province, at around 3 p.m. and found 600 kilograms (1,300 pounds) of meth after more than three hours of search.

Locals said the house belongs to an elderly couple who has a son living in Hanoi.

Vo Trong Hai, the chief police officer of the neighboring Ha Tinh Province, who joined the mission, confirmed that police have arrested five suspects and are investigating further.

The bust follows a weekend seizure of 30 kilograms of drugs in southern An Giang Province, including about 19 kilograms of meth, which were believed to be shipped from Cambodia and destined for Ho Chi Minh City.

It comes after two massive seizures last month in HCMC, one involving a 300 kilogram haul of heroin and 300 kilogram haul of meth. The cases have prompted top police officers to warn that HCMC is growing into a transit point for drugs thanks to its logistics infrastructure.

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 the death penalty.

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