On June 10, the Ministry of Public Security held a ceremony to announce a commendation letter from Prime Minister Le Minh Hung and reward officers for their outstanding achievements in breaking up the transnational drug trafficking operation.
According to the ministry, the criminal network operated through a tightly organized structure with clearly assigned roles. Suspects used social media platforms for communication, frequently changed phone numbers and divided transportation and delivery activities into multiple stages to evade detection.
After a lengthy investigation involving surveillance and verification of suspects across several localities, authorities developed a detailed operation plan with multiple coordinated enforcement teams and checkpoints.
On April 15, police caught three key suspects in the act at two separate locations. Immediately afterward, law enforcement officers simultaneously arrested another 119 suspects linked to the network across 11 provinces and cities.
Evidence seized by police (Photo: Police).
To date, authorities have arrested 403 suspects and seized 88.3kg of synthetic drugs, 6,386 ecstasy pills, 19 blocks of heroin, 416 packages of liquid narcotics known as "happy water", 60 electronic cigarette cartridges containing banned substances, 206kg of nitrous oxide, seven firearms, 35 rounds of ammunition, 16 cars, 36 motorcycles, 229 mobile phones and nearly VND 4.5 billion (approximately USD 173,000).
Police have prosecuted 230 suspects and imposed administrative penalties on 114 others. The remaining individuals are being classified and investigated further for legal action.
One suspect in the ring (Photo: Police).
Authorities described the operation as a closed drug trafficking organization that exploited advanced technology, encrypted and anonymous communication applications, bank accounts and virtual e-wallets to coordinate activities remotely. The network also fragmented transportation operations to conceal evidence and disguise financial transactions.
The criminal network operated across multiple provinces and cities, taking advantage of rugged border terrain, unofficial crossings and adjacent border areas to move drugs into Vietnam. Many suspects had previous criminal records and were prepared to use firearms to resist arrest when detected by law enforcement.