Breaking up a 'huge' drug ring from abroad to Vietnam

On November 9, Colonel Truong Cong Doan, head of the Drug Crime Investigation Police Department (PC47, Ba Ria-Vung Tau Provincial Police) said that he had just discovered a "huge" synthetic drug trafficking ring in the area.

Drugs seized in large quantities.

According to Colonel Doan, over the past year, through local reconnaissance, PC47 discovered a number of people involved in a large-scale, serious drug trafficking ring. Especially in the ring there were foreign elements.

The three people in the transnational drug trafficking ring were identified as Dang Van Tinh (22 years old, from Thanh Binh district, Dong Thap province, temporarily residing in Vung Tau city); Nguyen Thi Kim Ngoc (24 years old, from Thu Thua district, Long An province) and Khamlue-MrSaeng (36 years old, Thai nationality, residing in Bangkok city).

After having sufficient documents, in November 2016, PC47 reported to the Ba Ria-Vung Tau Provincial Police Department to establish a special project, and coordinate with other forces and localities to plan to fight and destroy it.

According to information, Khamlue-MrSaeng met Ngoc when he was a waitress at a bar in Malaysia. Khamlue-MrSaeng discussed with Ngoc about going to Vietnam to find drug dealers. Ngoc agreed and connected with Tinh because they knew each other before.

When Tinh agreed, Ngoc and Khamlue-MrSaeng found a way to transport crystal meth and synthetic drugs to Vietnam. From this source, the drugs reached the hands of their henchmen in Ho Chi Minh City, Tien Giang and Ba Ria - Vung Tau...

After nine months of surveillance, on the afternoon of August 12, 2017, the Investigation Team received information that Ngoc and Khamlue-MrSaeng had delivered a large amount of goods to Tinh in District 7, Ho Chi Minh City. The detectives decided to crack the case.

On the same day, when Tinh was sitting in a taxi driving to the toll station on National Highway 51 (through Tan Hai commune, Tan Thanh district, Ba Ria - Vung Tau), he was arrested with nearly 1kg of synthetic drugs (Methanphetamine) and eight ecstasy tablets.

Searching Tinh's residence, police found an additional scale, three packages of synthetic drugs and some related evidence.

At this time, Ngoc and Khamlue-MrSaeng quickly left for Myanmar. Information about Tinh's arrest was kept secret, the task force used all professional measures to continue tracking Ngoc and Khamlue-MrSaeng.

On August 24, the Investigation Team discovered that Ngoc and Khamlue-MrSaeng had returned to Vietnam and stayed at a hotel in My Tho City (Tien Giang). PC47, in coordination with PC47 of Tien Giang Provincial Police and C47 of the Ministry of Public Security, arrested Ngoc and Khamlue-MrSaeng right at this hotel.

During the search, the police seized 4,078 ecstasy pills, 627 million VND, 160,000 Kyats (Myanmar currency) and a number of other items...

PC47 has prosecuted and temporarily detained Tinh and Ngoc, continued to investigate and expand the case; handed over Khamlue-Mr Saeng to Tien Giang Provincial Police for investigation and handling.

According to PLO