HCM City customs has obtained and destroyed 13 cases of smuggled drugs worth over VND100 billion (USD4.76 million) since early this year.
Nearly 2kg of drugs detected at Tan Son Nhat International Airport.
The department has reported seizure of 11kg of cocaine, 4.22kg of heroine and 15,855 illegal pills of various kinds. Smugglers are known to use several methods to evade detection, including hiring women to serve as drug mules.
In one typical case, a Thai traveler was caught trying to transport 1.73 kg of drugs in a bag of incense at Tan Son Nhat International Airport. She had carried the contraband through four countries before being detected in Vietnam.
Phan Anh Minh, sub-lieutenant and deputy director of Hanoi Police Department, said the number of large-scale drug smuggling rings has been on the rise, including trans-national cartels between countries such as Japan and China.
The police, Ministry of Health and Industry and Ministry of Trade have admitted they are having trouble controlling the transport of illegal substances.
