Three Lao men caught transporting drugs worth $430,000

The three men, who have yet to be identified, were arrested near a border gate in the central province’s Huong Son District by the Ha Tinh Border Guards and Lao police.

62,000 pills of synthetic drugs hidden in nylon and tea bags, two cars and other relevant documents were seized by authorities.

The three men were planning to sell the drugs to an unidentified partner in Vietnam.

They have been handed over to Lao authorities with the confiscated evidence.

Vietnam is a key trafficking hub for narcotics from the Golden Triangle, an intersection of China, Laos, Thailand, and Myanmar and the world's second largest drug producing area behind the Golden Crescent in South Asia.

Drug trafficking and drug abuse has continued to flourish in the country despite it having some of the world’s toughest drug laws. Those convicted of possessing or smuggling more than 600 grams of heroin or more than 2.5 kilograms of methamphetamine 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.