Saigon police raid bar, find it is a drug den

At dawn nearly a hundred officers from the drug, criminal and traffic units cordoned off a section of Nguyen Van Luong Street and went into the bar.

The revelers inside panicked and many attempted to escape, but were prevented by the officers. A lot of heroin and ecstasy and other tablets were found on the floor and tables. Some individuals had heroin concealed in their clothes.

More than 150 people were taken to the police station in an intoxicated state.

Most were released later while a few have been detained for questioning about trafficking.

According to the Go Vap District police, the bar has been a partying hotspot since it opened four years ago. It has been raided before and fined no less than seven times for heroin-related offenses.

"To evade [the police], bars constantly change owners, making it very difficult [for officers]," one investigator said.

Police raids at Saigon's restaurants and similar services for drug use and sex work have occured more often of late. Last month, hundreds of police officers raided a popular restaurant in the central District 1 and held around 70 drug users and sex workers for drug test.

According to statistics compiled by the Ministry of Labor and Social Affairs, Saigon has nearly 22,000 registered drug users, nearly 10 percent of the country’s total.

Drug use is banned in Vietnam, and producing and dealing in drugs are criminal offenses.