Director of C04 talksabout drugs hidden inside 28 tonnes of export stone

	Exposing trick of drug trafficking from Cambodia to Vietnam
	Dien Bien Customs seizes 32 bricks of heroin
	Successfully destroy largest transnational drug trafficking line

Colonel Nguyen Van Vien spoke about special case A720P at the press meeting on August 14. Photo: N. Quoc.

Discharging stones to find drugs overnight

At apress meeting on August 14, Colonel Nguyen Van Vien-Director of Investigation Police Department on Drug-related Crimes (C04) talked about the special case A720P, tackling the ring of illegal transportation of drugs from Cambodia to Vietnam and then sending them via seato South Korea

Vien said from an information source of the Drug and Crime Prevention Department of the Border Guard High Command and agreement and direction of the leaders of the Ministry of Defense and the Ministry of Public Security, the Director of C04 and the Drug and Crime Prevention Department co-chaired the special case.

“On the night of 18 and early morning of 19 July, at Cat Lai Port (HCMC), C04 co-chaired with the Drug and Crime Prevention Department, the Anti-Smuggling and Investigation Department (under the General Department of Vietnam Customs) and competent forces to successfully tackle the special case. This is the first time, C04 issued a decision to urgently inspect a shipment at the seaport,” Viet said.

However, it wasnot easy to find drugs in the container. Suspects hid the drugs sophisticatedly in the middle of the container of granite stone to avoid the detection of competent forces.

In the night, under the direction of Colonel Nguyen Van Vien, the Police and competent forces discharged 28 tonnes of stone in the container to find drugs.

On the morning of July 19, inspecting 10 pack bales of granite stone, weighing 28 tonnes, competent forces seized 40 packages of methamphetamine (about 40 kg) hidden inside fourstone bales.

The perpetrator of the ring of the trafficking and illegal transportation of drugs is Kim Soonsik, born in 1960, Korean nationality, and residing in Cantavil apartment building, District 2, HCM City.

Kim Soonsik was an officer with 25 years experience in the Korean police force and was dissmised by Korean authorities for disciplinary violations.

Kim Soonsik went to Vietnam to travel and have a relationship with Huynh Thi Hoa Tran, Director of APE Industrial Equipment and Machinery Co., Ltd located at 529A Kha Van Can, Thu Duc District, HCM City to abuse the transportation of drugs abroad by seaway.

"However, Kim Soonsik and Huynh Thi Hoa Tran used another suspect in Dong Nai to open an export declaration," Director of C04 said about the sophisticated tricks of suspects in the transnational drug ring.

Drugs hidden inside granite seized by competent forces on July 18 at Cat Lai Port. Photo: L.T

Continue to hunt for perpetrators

After seizing drugs in the container, the working team of the special case has directed 6 scout teams to arrest suspects at different locations in HCM City and conduct an urgent search of the accommodation of the suspects in the ring.

At the investigation office, the suspects claimed their criminal acts.

However, the crime group related to the case at Cat Lai Port is a group in atransnational drug crime organisation.

C04 detected another large-scale group that coincided with the suspects in a special case investigated by specialized units of the C04 in the end of 2019.

This is a large-scale transnational drug ring with the connection of many suspects in provinces and cities, C04 gathered forces and means, and synchronously applied specialized measures and determined to investigate to arrest perpetrators and leaders of the crime organisation.

After investigation in provinces and cities across the country such as HCM City, Bac Giang, Lang Son and Dong Nai, competent forces have continued to destroy many drug hiding places.

“There weretwo perpetrators using fake identity cards to travel in Phu Quoc (KienGiang), after realizing the ring was destroyed, one perpetrator fled to Ca Mau. Immediately, officers and soldiers of C04 went to Ca Mau and coordinated with the local police to arrest this perpetrator,” Vien said.

According to Colonel Nguyen Van Vien, up to now, after three phases of the case, 24 suspects have been arrested in HCM City, Dong Nai, Ca Mau, and Kien Giang and 24 suspects have been prosecuted for illegally storing, transporting and trafficking drugs. The total number of seized evidence was 164 kg of all kinds of drugs (meth, ketamine, ecstasy), 19 heroin packages, and many assets (VND, USD, car, motorbike) related to the case.

Currently, C04 continues to focus on expanding the case, and improving evidence to issue international pursuit for perpetrators who are currently fleeing in Cambodia, China and HCM City.