Vietnam's police arrest 'drug queen', seize 12,000 ecstasy pills

By VnExpress   April 6, 2017 | 11:59 pm PT
Vietnam's police arrest 'drug queen', seize 12,000 ecstasy pills
Pham Thi Thu Huyen in police custody in Hai Phong's Hong Bang District. Photo courtesy of baotintuc.vn
The suspect often masks her contraband by putting them inside carefully wrapped coffee packages.

Police in Hai Phong have arrested a woman accused of playing a major role in the city's wholesale trade of drugs.

Pham Thi Thu Huyen, 29, has been involved in a number of drug sales worth billions of dong in the northern port city, where the anti-drugs police have recently busted a ring that trafficked 5,000 ecstasy pills and other substances in a case, reported Phapluatplus newspaper, which is run by the Justice Ministry.

Huyen is one of the suspects who have been targeted by the police while they expanded the above-mentioned case.

Investigators said Huyen was known as a "queen" of drug trafficking in Hai Phong, 100 km southeast of Hanoi, selling heroin and other drugs, including ketamine and ecstasy pills, in massive amount. She delivered and received the drugs by herself and often masked the contraband by putting them inside carefully wrapped coffee packages.

Huyen was arrested Thursday morning in the city as she was receiving 12,000 ecstasy pills from a man, later identified as Le Van Mang, 30.

While searching Huyen's house, police found another 0.55kg (1.21 lbs) of ketamine.

Vietnam has some of the world’s toughest drug laws. Those convicted of possessing or smuggling more than 600 grams of heroin or more than 2.5kg (5.5 lbs) 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.

 
 
go to top