Narcotics squads have rooted out a number of drug hot spots and broken hundreds of major transnational gangs over the past five years, reported a workshop in Ho Chi Minh City on October 8.

The workshop, held by the Executive Office for Crime and Drug Control under the Ministry of Public Security, also reported progress made in the detoxification and rehabilitation of former drug users and strong international cooperation in this field.

Sen. Lieut. Col. Hoang Anh Tuyen, Deputy Head of the Executive Office for Crime and Drug Control, said the narcotics squad, including police, border guards and customs officers, detected over 56,000 drug-related cases involving almost 84,000 offenders. They have also uncovered 245 drug crime rings where almost 26,600 offenders were involved.

Detoxification and rehabilitation centres nationwide have treated more than 180,000 drug users over the past five years, the senior officer reported.

Narcotics squads warned of the need to maintain vigilance due to an increasing complexity in drug crimes on land, by air, waterway and inside the country./.