"Catch an extremely big batch" of ecstasy from the investigation case E318

	Ha Tinh Customs coordinated to seize 431 tablets of ecstasy
	Arrest a person transporting nearly 8,000 tablets of ecstasy

Catching a batch of more than a dozen kgs of ecstasy. Photo: T.H

Late Sunday afternoon, I received a call from Huynh Nam, Head of Drug Enforcement Unit under HCMC Customs Department, with a brief notification: "Tomorrow morning, before 8 o'clock, inviting reporters to Drug Enforcement Unit to collaborate with us to carry out an important task”. Receiving this notification, I suddenly thought that they might be investigating a case. From the beginning of the year up to now, HCMC Customs Department has repeatedly detected and prevented many illegal transportation cases of drugs through airway and express delivery; this case might be a surprise. While thinking, I was preparing myself to join the case with them.

Early next morning, I and my colleague presented ourselves at the Drug Enforcement Unit, the officers involved in the case were ready to leave. The leader Huynh Nam reminded the colleagues to check the equipment and supporting tools: knives, screwdrivers, and reagents. Huynh Nam explained that these tools was to deal with sophisticated tricks for hiding drugs of carriers.

After 7 a.m, a car carrying the officers and us headed straight to the Import-Export Cargo Procedures Team 1 under Express Customs Branch. The forces participating with the Customs Enforcement Unit to break the case included Express Customs Branch; Team 6 under Anti-smuggling and Investigation Department (General Department of Customs), C47 of Ministry of Public Security. After a brief discussion, packages suspected of containing drugs sent via express delivery were inspected.

Hundreds of thousands of tablets of ecstasy are hidden in the gifts package. Photo: T.H.

In addition, there were a pair of loudspeakers containing drugs, in which the offenders used adhesive tape for wrapping around drug packages and put into the speakers’ guts. Customs officers had to use screwdrivers to remove the screws and open the pair of loudspeakers, thereby capturing more than 5 kgs of drugs.

Presented at the inspection, we have seen that the tricks to hide drugs were very sophisticated. The packages were normal, even when they were opened, there were just household items such as clothes, toys, shoes and music loudspeakers. But, there were thousands of drug tablets inside. Thus, after two days of investigating and examining ten packages, the investigation board had seized a total of 12.5 kgs of drugs (ecstasy).

The investigation is coded E318

According to Mr. Huynh Nam, through grasping the situation and gathering information, in March 2018, the Unit had advised the leaders of the Department to establish the investigation case code E318 on the fight against ecstasy imports (MDMA) from European countries to Ho Chi Minh City through international post and express delivery, hidden in the form of personal and non-commercial gifts. Accordingly, international drug traffickers use the trick of sending goods to bogus addresses, or real addresses that are apartments of more than 600 apartments, or coffee shops, so the verification is very difficult and impossible. With this trick, the traffickers will shirk responsibility when being detected by competent authorities. If successful, they will find a way to transport drugs, because the goods are sent via express delivery to home address.

Earlier, in the fourth quarter of 2/17, also on this transport route, the Drug Enforcement Unit also planned and presided over arresting 4 cases, seizing about 1.4 kgs of ecstasy. Then coordinating with C47B to expand the case and arrest two offenders.

The loudspeaker is filled with ecstasy inside. Photo: T.H.

After more than 3 months of investigation, HCMC Customs Department has launched the crack-down on drugs and arrested 12.5 kgs of ecstasy. Despite difficulties in expanding the investigation, the officers complied well with the guidance of leaders at all levels and promptly prevented a large number of drugs coming into Vietnam, contributing to maintaining the peace to people and society.

Mr. Nam said that from the end of 2017, so far, drug trafficking and illegal transport from foreign countries through Ho Chi Minh City aviation route has become increasingly complex and serious. Through the investigations and arrests, domestic and foreign drug crimes have been closely linked, forming transnational crime lines and organizations operating with increasingly sophisticated methods and tricks.

Customs authorities seized 12.5 kg of ecstasy hidden inside cartons and speakers VCN – After 3 months of monitoring, on 25/6 and 26/6, HCM City Customs Department has successfully ...

In particular, in the early months of 2018, the illegal importation of marijuana and synthetic drugs MDMA (ecstasy) in the form of non-commercial gifts has been alarming, while drug transport through passengers on exit and entry significantly decreased compared to previous years. Remarkably, foreign drug crimes have taken advantage of aviation routes (including airports, post offices, and express delivery) to illegally transport drugs from foreign countries into Vietnam for domestic consumption and transhipment to third countries.