Vietnam arrests eight Laotian nationals for drug trafficking

Lina PortmanMay 30, 2024

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Vietnamese border guards have arrested eight Laotian nationals for smuggling nearly 200 kilograms (441 pounds) of illegal drugs into the country, state media reported Thursday.

Three men and five women traveling in a Laotian-registered car were arrested at a border post in Quang Nam province with 198 kilos of drugs in teabag-sized packets.

Border…

Vietnamese border guards have arrested eight Laotian nationals for smuggling nearly 200 kilograms (441 pounds) of illegal drugs into the country, state media reported Thursday.

Three men and five women traveling in a Laotian-registered car were arrested at a border post in Quang Nam province with 198 kilos of drugs in teabag-sized packets.

Border guards and police confiscated 15.4 kilos of heroin and 181 kilos of other types of synthetic drugs, state-run Tuoi Tre newspaper reported.

Southeast Asia is a major center for synthetic drugs such as methamphetamine, much of which is produced in areas bordering Myanmar.

The 2,300-kilometer (1,429-mile) mountainous border between Laos and Vietnam has long been a major smuggling route.

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Vietnam has notoriously strict drug laws, and in January nine people were sentenced to death and two others to life in prison for their involvement in a trafficking ring from Laos.

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