Portrait of the 'boss' running a drug factory disguised as electronic cigarettes

On the afternoon of November 23, the Drug Crime Investigation Police Department (C04, Ministry of Public Security) announced that the unit had just dismantled a ring that injected drugs into electronic cigarettes and then advertised them for sale on social networking sites.

Accordingly, through the work of grasping the situation, Department C04 discovered many advertisements and sales of electronic cigarettes and cigarettes containing drugs on social networking sites.

To increase the high and at the same time avoid detection by the authorities, the subjects mix, marinate, and inject drug essential oils into these cigarettes. These drugs directly affect the nervous system, causing memory loss, dementia, and long-term use causes brain atrophy.

Identifying the dangers of drugs disguised as electronic cigarettes and cigarettes, Department C04 has established project 123T to focus on investigating.

Through further verification, the Drug Crime Investigation Police Department identified the leader of the organization as Le Anh Tho (28 years old, residing in Hoang Mai, Hanoi). Tho searched online for the formula, then through social networks contacted subjects abroad to order synthetic cannabis, flavoring oils, chemicals, electronic cigarette equipment, and tobacco tubes to be shipped to a warehouse in Hanoi through shipping companies.

The subjects mixed and seasoned the drugs by injecting essential oils containing drugs into the tips of electronic cigarettes and tobacco sticks, then assembled and operated the machines to create electronic cigarettes and tobacco sticks containing drugs. For each type, Tho prepared 3 different flavors. After seasoning the drugs, the subjects labeled the electronic cigarettes Ampire Chill and Dominix cigarettes.

All electronic cigarette packaging and labels are made exclusively by Tho, with warranty and return policies for defective products. To avoid detection by authorities, the subjects often change warehouses.

After producing the finished cigarettes, Tho directed his juniors to post advertisements and broadcast live on social networks saying that these products contained stimulants but were not drugs in order to deceive users.

The subjects mainly choose customers who buy in large quantities for wholesale and build selling prices according to quantity. The more you buy, the cheaper the price and vice versa. The subjects create their own groups and regularly filter people into the groups and are vigilant if they see signs of being detected, they delete the group, delete fake accounts to create new accounts and groups to operate.

Assessing that the subjects had just finished producing a batch of cigarettes containing drugs, on September 14, Department C04 presided over and coordinated with other units to catch four subjects including: Do Duy Lung, Le Anh Duc, Hoang Van Quy, and Phung Quoc Viet in the act of mixing and using syringes to inject essential oils containing drugs into "Ampire Chill" electronic cigarettes at a warehouse in Phuong Nhi commune (Thanh Tri, Hanoi).

At the scene, the police seized more than 3,500 finished cigarettes that had been injected with essential oils containing narcotics. 5 plastic cans containing 84 liters of drug solution. A machine pumping essential oils mixed with synthetic drugs. Nearly 300 boxes containing equipment to assemble more than 10,000 electronic cigarettes, 1 million tobacco cigarette cases and many solvents, chemicals, raw materials, components, accessories, boxes, labels used in the production and packaging of electronic cigarettes.

In addition, nearly 15,000 electronic cigarettes containing essential oils were seized, smuggled by Le Anh Tho from abroad to Vietnam, waiting to be sold on the market.

At the same time, a working group arrested and searched Le Anh Tho's residence, seizing many machines, chemicals, finished electronic cigarettes, packaging of rolled tobacco brands and electronic cigarettes.

To date, the Drug Crime Investigation Police Department has prosecuted the case, prosecuted and detained 6 suspects.

The successful fight against the above project, seizing a large amount of drugs, contributes to protecting the young generation from the dangers of drugs.