Enforcement authorities busts 67, 000 cases and seizes about 10 tons of drugs

General Luong Tam Quang, Minister of Public Security, speaks at the Conference. Photo: C04.

Preventing Vietnam from becoming a transit area

The information was reported at the National Online Conference on implementing solutions to reduce drug demand, jointly held by the Ministry of Public Security, the Supreme People's Court, and the Supreme People's Procuracy on November 18, 2024,

With the goal of preventing and stopping drugs from afar, early, from the starting point; proactively grasping the situation, fighting, arresting the entire criminals; investigating and handling effectively, the People's Public Security force has coordinated with relevant forces to strengthen the fight against drug-related crimes.

According to the Investigation Police Department on Drug-related Crimes (C04, Ministry of Public Security), since 2022, the People's Public Security force has led and coordinated with relevant forces to tackled more than 67,000 cases, and arrested more than 105,000 subjects.

Notably, the Police has seized 1.6 tons of heroin; more than 1.7 tons of marijuana; more than 7.6 tons and 7 million synthetic drug pills.

The positive results show that the enforcement forces have controlled well the supply of drugs from outside the territory into our country, preventing Vietnam from becoming an international drug transit area.

Lieutenant General Nguyen Van Vien, Director of C04, reports at the Conference. Photo: C04.

Younger people tend to have higher rates of addiction

As of October, the total number of illegal drug users, drug addicts, and people under post-rehabilitation management is 228,215 people.

Of these, 37,382 are illegal drug users, 170,067 are drug addicts, and 20,766 are under post-rehabilitation management (in fact, the number of drug addicts and illegal drug users in the community is larger than the figure).

The age of drug users tends to get younger, from 12 to 30 years old accounting for 44.6%; from 30 years old or more accounting for 55.4%, concentrated in the group without a job or with an unstable job (accounting for 60%), mainly using synthetic drugs.

With the current number of illegal drug users and drug addicts, especially the high number outside the community (95,644 people), it is identified as a "demand source" for drug consumption.

This seriously affects public health, labor resources, causes great damage to the economy (about VND1,500 billion spent on buying drugs), has high potential risks, and is considered a source of crimes (theft, robbery, snatching, intentional injury, murder...).

Many people use synthetic drugs for a long time, leading to mental disorders, loss of behavioral control, and serious consequences, causing insecurity in localities and affecting the healthy business environment, and attracting international investment in the country.

The organizing and encouraging others to illegally use drugs continues to be complicated, especially at business establishments with conditions and sensitive services to security and order.

Notably, there have been a number of cases of state officials, civil servants, artists, and football players illegally using drugs.

The using “laughing gas” and drugs mixed into food, drinks, herbs, cigarettes, electronic cigarettes, etc. is increasingly complicated, especially among young people and teenagers, at conditional business establishments and services sensitive to security and order.

At the conference, delegates focused on discussing solutions to reduce the demand for drugs.