Four flight attendants released in case of four suitcases containing drugs
Authorities determined that while the four flight attendants were staying in France, a Vietnamese person asked them to transfer consumer goods to Vietnam via Tan Son Nhat Airport to send to their family.
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Counting the shipment of drugs hidden in tubestoothpastewere seized from the luggage of four flight attendants. Photo: VNA |
On March 22, information from the Ministry of Public Security said that the Ho Chi Minh City Police Investigation Agency had decided to release four flight attendants in the case of four suitcases containing toothpaste tubes containing drugs inside.
At 8:45 a.m. on March 16, through routine cargo screening, Tan Son Nhat International Airport Customs Branch discovered a shipment of about 60 kg of goods, including 4 suitcases of flight attendants Tran Thi Thu Ngan, Vo Tu Quynh, Nguyen Thanh Thuy and Dang Phuong Van, which was suspicious and should still be inspected.
Afterwards, the Tan Son Nhat International Airport Customs Branch coordinated with the Drug Crime Investigation Police Department - Ministry of Public Security and the Drug Crime Investigation Police Department - Ho Chi Minh City Police to conduct an inspection and discovered in 4 suitcases, in addition to personal belongings, a total of 327 tubes of toothpaste (unopened, many different brands, each tube contained in a separate paper box) and 17 bottles of mouthwash.
Conducting an internal inspection of the above toothpaste tubes, the authorities discovered 157 tubes containing a total of 11,284.57 grams of drugs of various types, Ketamine and MDMA.
On March 17, Tan Son Nhat Airport Customs Branch transferred the case file and evidence to the Investigation Police Agency - Ho Chi Minh City Police to continue investigating according to their authority.
Based on the investigation results, on March 21, the authorities met, comprehensively evaluated the collected documents and evidence and compared the provisions of the law, initially determining that when the 4 flight attendants were staying in France, a Vietnamese person asked them to transfer consumer goods, 327 tubes of toothpaste and 17 bottles of mouthwash, to Vietnam via Tan Son Nhat Airport to send to their families.
These flight attendants did not know that 157 of the 327 tubes of toothpaste they were transporting contained drugs; therefore, there was not enough evidence to prosecute them criminally.
On March 22, the Ho Chi Minh City Police Investigation Agency decided to release the four flight attendants mentioned above.
Currently, the Ho Chi Minh City Police Investigation Agency has initiated a case of "illegal drug transportation" to investigate and clarify the nature of the incident and strictly handle related subjects according to regulations./.
