Earlier this month, Dong Thanh Commune Police in Ho Chi Minh City carried out a surprise inspection at a local hotel and found two suspects believed to have organised the illegal use of narcotics. Investigators said the pair were part of a wider network supplying drugs, drug-taking equipment and other conditions facilitating criminal activity on a large scale.
Suspects linked to the drug ring were arrested (Photo: Nguyen Trang).
Dong Thanh Commune Police reviewed and cross-checked multiple sources of evidence, gradually identifying the full structure of an organised interprovincial criminal network involving numerous suspects at different stages of the operation.
Given the complexity of the case, Dong Thanh Commune Police reported it to the leadership of Ho Chi Minh City Police and were instructed to launch a dedicated investigation in coordination with the Drug Crime Investigation Division.
After an intensive investigation and manhunt, the task force simultaneously deployed multiple teams and arrested 30 suspects linked to organising the illegal use of narcotics, trafficking narcotics, illegal possession of narcotics, trading in equipment and tools used for illegal drug consumption, and illegal drug use.
Police seized around one tonne of evidence (Photo: Nguyen Trang).
Authorities seized nearly 1 kilogramme of methamphetamine, 5.5 litres of liquid containing narcotic substances, two cars, five motorbikes, 48 precision scales, 37 mobile phones, computers, data hard drives, printers, plastic sealing machines and many other related assets.
Under the direction of Ho Chi Minh City Police leadership, investigators widened the inquiry and seized a large quantity of drug-taking equipment, including more than 12,000 cylinders, pipes and glass tubes of various kinds, about 550 kilogrammes of nylon bags used for drug packaging, more than 500 specialised tools for dividing drugs such as scoops, scissors, alloy files and measuring spoons, along with hundreds of cardboard boxes used for packing and transport. The total weight of the seized evidence was about one tonne.
Drug-taking equipment seized by police (Photo: Nguyen Trang).
According to investigators, this was not merely a drug trafficking ring but an entire ecosystem serving criminal activity, from drug supply, storage, packaging and transport to the provision of equipment and tools used for illegal drug consumption.