80% of drugs shipped to Vietnam are transshipped abroad

Huge profit

At the Award Ceremony for Excellence in Anti- Drug Crime held in Ho Chi Minh City on 29 March 2019 the Minister of Public Security To Lam said that the detection of more than 1 ton of crystal methamphetamine and nearly 1,000 drugs packages has shown the illegal transportation is complicated and a major concern.

Drug production and trafficking in Southeast Asia, especially in the Golden Triangle area have tended to increase and greatly affected our country. A large volume of drugs is always gathered at borders and is ready for transportation to Vietnam on demand.

According to Ministry of Public Security, many assessments show that Vietnam is now both adrug transshipment country and drug consuming country. Over 80% of drugs shipped into Vietnam are transported to third countries.

After drug transportation and trafficking were cracked down on in the Northern provinces, drugs have been transported through other provinces by air and sea due to the huge profits available.

The seaway has great risks that competent agencies have not yet controlled, smugglers use many sophisticated tricks so detection has proved difficult, closer coordination is needed between competent agencies, especially the Customs, Border Guard and Coast Guard to effectively prevent this dangerous criminal activity.

Minister of Public Security To Lam said that drug crime is the crime of all crimes, if this crime is not reduced, many other crimes will rise. Crimes related to drug abuse: murder, stealing, robbing, drug addiction, drug addicted drivers is a hot issue and a major concern.

If drugs were not seized and consumed in the market, many other crimes would rise. Preventing 1 kg of drug transported into Vietnam will reduce 1 criminal case and reduce the number of families with relatives being sentenced to imprisonment; greatlycontributing to implementing the target of reducing criminal cases. Vietnam is not a place for drug transshipment, contributing to the development of a drug-free ASEAN environment.

If crime is reduced by 3-5% per year, about 5,000 families in Vietnam would not have a relative go to prison.

Risk of drug crime

Through recent drug arrests in Ho Chi Minh City, Minister To Lam noted, Ho Chi Minh City is a great risk because it is a favorable place for drug crime.

The number of drug addicts in Ho Chi Minh City is the highest in the country, with more than 23,500 registered addicts, but the actual figure is estimated at more than 200,000 addicts, creating a high demand for drug use.This is the lure for the criminals.

According to Minister To Lam, through traffic control and patrol on 27 March 2019, Ho Chi Minh City Police seized 895 drug packages which is considered the tip of theicebergof drug crime operations in Ho Chi Minh City.

Further increases in past drug activities indicate that drug criminals are targeting Ho Chi Minh City. The specialized forces of Ho Chi Minh City have actively taken measures to fight against drug crimes and prevent transportation of drugs from foreigncountries into Vietnam.

It is necessary to make attempts to send addicts for rehab, contributing to reducing drug demand ...