Another major drug production ring busted in HCM City

HCM City (VNA) – The Drug Crime Investigation Police Department (C47) under the Ministry of Public Security has busted a large-scaled drug production ring in Ho Chi Minh City led by Didonna Quoc Anh Phillip, a French citizen.

Didonna Quoc Anh Phillip, born in 1992, and his accomplice Vu An, born in 1990, were caught red-handed last month by the police when exchanging one kilogramme of drug in an apartment building in the city’s district 8.

While searching the duo’s homes, the police seized up to 85,000 meth pills and many exhibits used to produce drugs.

According to the investigation results, Didonna Quoc Anh Phillip and Vu An rented an apartment to produce thousands of meth pills. As estimated, the duo had made around 20,000 meth pills each night.

Further investigation is underway.

Last week, a transnational drug trafficking ring was also busted in HCM City with the biggest ever haul of heroine seized by the police.

Around 62kg of heroin, two cars and large amount of foreign currency were seized during the raid.

The ring was led by Pham Huu Hieu, 48 years old from central Nghe An province.

Hieu had transported the drugs from Laos through the border province of Quang Binh, and distributed them to six other dealers.

Police arrested the traffickers while they were exchanging the drugs at an apartment building in Tan Phu district.

In May, another massive drug trafficking ring operating between Cambodia and Vietnam was busted in HCM City, with 103,000 ecstasy pills, 39 packs of heroin and some 30kg of synthetic drugs seized.

Statistics released by the Ministry of Public Security showed that in the first six months of 2018, many drug trafficking rings were uncovered with the seized heroin volume surging 168 percent from the previous year.

 

Authorised forces busted nearly 13,700 drug-related cases, arresting nearly 20,000 suspects and seizing over 940kg of heroin, nearly 800,000 synthetic drug pills, 1,500kg of marijuana, and over 40kg of opium.

Meanwhile, the total in drug-related cases and criminals rose 20 percent and 12 percent from the same period last year, respectively. Procuracies and courts at all levels brought to trial nearly 8,000 drug-related cases with nearly 9,600 defendants, data shows.-VNA