South African arrested in Vietnam for transporting 2 kg of cocaine

By Quoc Thang June 13, 2016 | 01:14 am PT

South African arrested in Vietnam for transporting 2 kilogram cocaine

Ho Chi Minh City Police have arrested a South African man in Tan Son Nhat Airport after detecting nearly two kilograms of cocaine in his luggage.

Australian heroin smuggler sentenced to life in HCM City

The cocaine is estimated to be valued at $300,000.

The man, 32, admitted that he was hired to transport cocaine from Doha, Qatar to Vietnam and then the U.S. for $3,500. He needed the money to pay off debts.

The police suspect the man was involved in a trans-national drug trafficking ring.

The Tan Son Nhat Airport customs said that over the past few months, they have detected a number of drug trafficking cases, including a ton of poisonous cathinone from Africa and tens of kilograms of heroin which was about to be exported to Australia.

The cocaine hidden in his luggage

On May 30, a court in Ho Chi Minh City sentenced an Australian man to life in prison for attempting to smuggle 3.5 kilograms of heroin to Sydney.

In Vietnam, people found in possession of more than 600 grams of heroin or cocaine may face the death penalty.