Ho Chi Minh City Customs stops many drug trafficking gangs via air

	Hanoi Customs on the front line of combating drugs via air route
	Tan Son Nhat International Airport Customs: Stop many cases of sophisticated drug trafficking
	Tan Son Nhat International Airport Customs: Preventing many sophisticated drug trafficking cases

Drugs hidden in metal bars of treadmills, Ho Chi Minh City Customs has to use pliers and cutters to check and handle the infringing goods.

Sophisticated tricks from exported goods and departing passengers

According to the Ho Chi Minh City Customs Department, the criminals always change methods of hiding drugs, with increasingly sophisticated ways, the Customs agency must use specialized equipment to break the goods to get the drug.

For example, the case of more than 3 kg of ketamine hidden in the wall of a 034 steel pot was discovered by the Ho Chi Minh City Customs Department in June 2024.

According to Ho Chi Minh customs officials, the pot containing the above drugs was in a gift package exported to New Zealand. This package only had one pot, through suspicion from the screening image, the customs officials checked and discovered that the metal pot had two layers of sealed welding, inside the pot wall, there was the above drugs. To get more than three kg of ketamine from inside the hard steel pot wall, the Customs agency had to use a drill, crowbar, etc to open the steel layer. This is one of the new tricks and routes that drug traffickers choose to transport drugs abroad.

Drug packages hidden in the metal pot wall are seized by Ho Chi Minh City Customs Department.

The method of hiding nearly 1.2 kg of heroin in the export shipment to Australia is also a new and sophisticated method that was first discovered and seized by the Ho Chi Minh City Customs Department in July 2024. Accordingly, the shipment consisted of one carton containing four treadmills. Through checking, the Customs agency discovered nearly 1.2 kg of drugs hidden inside 8 metal tubes of the treadmills. These drugs were divided into 80 packages sealed in plastic bags, inserted into the metal tubes of the treadmills.

In addition to the sophisticated method of hiding drugs in gift packages, the situation of passengers hiding drugs on their bodies and illegally transporting drugs by air has also become a problem. The Ho Chi Minh City Customs Department has discovered and prevented many large-scale cases.

In early August 2024, through reconnaissance work, Ho Chi Minh City Customs officers discovered that three Korean passengers were doing exit procedures at the gate for business class passengers with suspicious signs, so they organized surveillance. These VIP passengers did not have any checked baggage, their carry-on baggage consisted only of a small shoulder bag, so all their movements were under the surveillance of customs officers. At the security screening and customs inspection area for passengers and carry-on baggage of departing passengers, officers of the Tan Son Nhat International Airport Customs Branch did not detect any unusual signs from the carry-on bags of these three passengers.

However, after a quick consultation, the Customs officers decided to invite the above passengers to the inspection room. As a result of the inspection, the Customs agency discovered that three passengers were hiding a large amount of drugs inside the underwear they were wearing. The total amount of drugs included nearly 1.6 kg of ketamine and MDMA tablets. The drugs were divided into small pieces and wrapped in plastic bags attached to underwear. After discovering the criminals red-handed, the Customs Branch of Tan Son Nhat International Airport handed over the suspects, all the drugs and case files to the Drug Crime Investigation Police Department (PC04) - Ho Chi Minh City Police to investigate and clarify.

Coordinating with the other authorities to arrest many suspects

By effectively implementing inspection and control measures, as well as coordinating with other authorities, Ho Chi Minh City Customs Department not only promptly prevented illegal drug trafficking through the border gate but also expanded the investigation and arrested many suspects involved in the drug trafficking ring.

At the end of May 2024, the Express Customs Branch - Ho Chi Minh City Customs Department detained a parcel imported from Hungary containing nearly 8 kg of methaphetamine and MDMA. These drugs were disguised in chocolate cake boxes. After discovering the case, Ho Chi Minh City Customs Department handed over the evidence to PC04 - Ho Chi Minh City Police and applied the professional measure of "controlled delivery" to expand the investigation and arrest related subjects. The police have investigated and arrested 17 violators and seized more than 50 kg of various drugs.

Through investigation, the Ho Chi Minh City Customs Department discovered that the drug trafficking and illegal trading gangs and organizations mostly operate on a large scale, in a large area, inter-provincial or transnational scale, along with a tight organization with a specific assignment of tasks among members, the masterminds rarely directly deal with the traders. Most of criminals take advantage of social networking sites to transact and commit crimes, causing many difficulties for the detection, investigation and handling of the competent authorities.

In addition to the above case, thanks to the smooth coordination with other authorities, Ho Chi Minh City Customs Department seized many drug trafficking cases at the border gate, expanded to investigate and prosecute many cases. A typical example in the coordination to arrest criminals in the drug trafficking gang is the case coded VN10. Accordingly, from the seizure of more than 16 kg of drugs hidden in toothpaste tubes transported by four flight attendants from France to Vietnam by Ho Chi Minh City Customs, expanding the investigation, up to now, Ho Chi Minh City Police have prosecuted 1,038 defendants, seized 323.5 kg of various drugs, 12 guns and 67 bullets, 3 grenades and many related evidences, proving that the amount of money the criminal had traded in drugs was more than VND28,000 billion.

Ho Chi Minh City Customs Department is effectively implementing coordination with other forces according to the coordination regulations with Ho Chi Minh City Police and Border Guard.