Vietnam - Laos agree on plan to crack down on drug crimes on the border

Delegates attending the conference. Photo: Hoai Thu

On the morning of April 3, in Vinh City, Nghe An Province, the Vietnamese Ministry of Public Security and the Lao Ministry of Security held a conference to deploy a plan to launch a peak campaign to propagate, attack, and suppress drug crimes on the Vietnam - Laos border.

Attending the conference, there was Major General Thoong Lech Man No Mech - Director General of the General Department of Police of the Lao Ministry of Security as head of the delegation. On the Vietnamese side, there were comrades: Senior Lieutenant General Le Quy Vuong -Member of the Central Committee of the Party,Deputy Minister of Public Security as head of the delegation; Representatives of relevant functional units of the Ministry of Public Security, Department of Criminal Investigation Police, Border Guard Command, Customs Department and relevant localities.

On the side of Nghe An province, there were comrades: Nguyen Dac Vinh - Member of the Party Central Committee, Secretary of the Provincial Party Committee, Head of the Provincial National Assembly Delegation; Nguyen Xuan Son - Standing Deputy Secretary of the Provincial Party Committee, Chairman of the Provincial People's Council; Thai Thanh Quy - Alternate Member of the Party Central Committee, Deputy Secretary of the Provincial Party Committee, Chairman of the Provincial People's Committee; Representatives of relevant functional units.

Senior Lieutenant General Le Quy Vuong delivered the opening speech at the conference. Photo: Hoai Thu

At the conference, after the welcoming speech of Provincial Party Secretary Nguyen Dac Vinh, Senior Lieutenant General Le Quy Vuong suggested that the delegations of the two countries would discuss and frankly assess the issues regarding the situation, results, shortcomings and difficulties in the process of cooperation in drug crime prevention and control between the two countries; discuss and agree on directions and tasks to continue to improve the effectiveness of cooperation in the coming time.

Reporting on the situation, results of the joint fight and the plan to launch a peak propaganda campaign, especially on the border of the three provinces of Nghe An, Thanh Hoa, Ha Tinh, Major General Pham Van Cac - Director of the Department of Investigation Police on Drug-related Crimes, Ministry of Public Security said: The situation of drug crimes on the Vietnam - Laos border has increased dramatically, complicatedly with many sophisticated and increasingly aggressive tricks.

Bilateral patrol of the Vietnam - Laos border. Photo: Archive

In recent times, the anti-drug forces of 10 Vietnam-Laos border provinces have organized 255 bilateral patrols with 3,460 officers participating; destroyed 17 complex hotspots; successfully fought 98 special cases, arrested 4,254 cases, 5,768 subjects; seized 496.91 kg of heroin, 117.23 kg of opium, 560,335 synthetic drug pills...

In the three provinces of Nghe An, Thanh Hoa and Ha Tinh alone, 1,955 cases and 2,441 subjects were discovered and arrested; 153 kg of heroin, 71.2 kg of opium, 214.4 kg of synthetic drugs and 231,790 synthetic drug pills were seized.

The conference heard representatives of the leaders of the Drug Crime Investigation Police Department, Ministry of Public Security; the Drug Crime Prevention and Control Department, Border Guard Command; the Drug Crime Prevention and Control Police Department, General Department of Police, Ministry of Public Security of Laos and local police of Vietnam and Laos report on the drug crime prevention and control situation in the past between the two countries, and agree on a cooperation plan to prevent and combat drug crimes in the coming time.

At the same time, delegates also proposed solutions to effectively combat drug crimes between the two countries; deploy a plan to launch a peak campaign of propaganda, attack, and suppression of drug crimes on the Vietnam - Laos border.

Subject Bi Vang residing in Phon Muong Noi village, Kham Cot district, Bolikhamxay province (Laos) brought 20,000 drug pills from Laos to Nghe An and was discovered and arrested by Nghe An Border Guard force on March 22, 2019.

Agree on an action plan

The conference agreed to launch a peak campaign to propagate, attack and suppress drug crimes on the Vietnam - Laos border, taking place from April 15 to July 15, 2019. The Ministry of Public Security requested the Border Guard Command and the General Department of Customs to coordinate and effectively implement specific contents; at the same time, the Drug Crime Investigation Police Department was assigned to be on duty and advise the Ministry's leaders on implementing the peak campaign.

The agencies and functional units of the two sides will report to competent authorities to advise on the development, amendment and supplementation of agreements and memorandums of understanding to create a legal basis for information exchange, coordination in investigation, arrest and extradition of criminals and wanted persons; seizure and exchange of evidence and related documents.

Major General Thoong Lech Man No Mech -Director General of the General Department of Police, Ministry of Public Security of Laosspeech in response to the upcoming implementation contents. Photo: Hoai Thu

Speaking in response to the peak period launched at the conference, Major General Thoong Lech Man No Mech affirmed that, promoting the spirit of special friendship between Vietnam and Laos, the functional forces of Laos will actively cooperate closely, implementing the contents of the peak period of attack and suppression of drug crimes that the two sides have agreed. In particular, bilateral patrol activities will be strengthened, control stations will be established at border gate areas and regular exchange and information provision between the functional forces of the two sides to gradually control the complicated situation of drugs and drug crimes on the border of the two countries.

The Lao Ministry of Security and the Vietnamese Ministry of Public Security exchanged souvenirs at the conference. Photo: Hoai Thu

Concluding the conference, Senior Lieutenant General Le Quy Vuong requested the professional units of the Ministry of Public Security, the Border Guard Command, the General Department of Customs, the local police of Vietnam and Laos, and the professional units of the Lao Ministry of Security to actively coordinate to successfully implement the plan, contributing to ensuring security and order on the border between Vietnam and Laos.