Two drug dealers were arrested by local police in Quang Tri in June 2016. Officials say that the situation worsened when Laos tightened trading activities in the border areas in 2014. (Source: VNA) Quang Tri (VNS/VNA) - Local authorities say that the number of ethnicminority juveniles engaging in drug trafficking at the Vietnamese-Lao border inthe central province of Quang Tri has increased sharply over the last fiveyears.
They also say that efforts to fight drug trafficking in the area have beenhampered by a change in rules that determines punishment, including detention,on the narcotics content of the drugs seized.
This has created a loophole that traffickers exploit by smuggling reducedquantities of narcotics each time, but increasing the number of cross-bordertrips.
Colonel Nguyen Thuan Hoa, head of the anti-drug trafficking unit under theprovince’s Department of Police, told the Tien Phong (Vanguard)newspaper that increased trafficking has complicated the fight against drugaddiction in the border district of Huong Hoa in recent years.
The police department estimates that there are more than 1,100 drug addicts inthe province at present, half of them in Huong Hoa district, especially in LaoBao town and Tan Thanh commune.
Vietnam’s Quang Trị and Laos’ Savannakhet provinces share a border that is156km long, with the Lao Bao-Densavan border gate connecting the East-WestEconomic Corridor.
Drug traffickers are taking advantage of the area’s topography to hireVietnamese immigrants to set up drug trafficking rings for smuggling drugs fromSavannakhet into Quang Tri through the Lao Bao International Border Gate.
Officials say that the situation worsened when Laos tightened tradingactivities in the border areas in 2014, leaving a large group of Vietnameseimmigrants unemployed. These people - many of whom were addicts - then returnedto Vietnam and set up drug trafficking rings.
Hoa said drug addiction has become widespread in villages along the Vietnam-Laoborder route in recent years. Drug addicts, mostly local residents, soon becomedrug traffickers who are hired to carry small amounts of drugs into Vietnam. Itwas difficult to deter these violators as the narcotics content was not enoughto arrest them and launch legal proceedings, he said.
Many traffickers do not even have enough money to pay fines for theirviolations, and all the police can do is seizing the smuggled drugs, he added.
Currently, there are 86 people on the local police’s list of drug traffickingsuspects, all of them belonging to ethnic minority communities in Huong Hoa district.Most of these suspects are juveniles, unemployed, and drug addicts. The policealso say that the real number could be much higher.
Colonel Ha Trong Hoan, deputy head of the provincial Border Guard’s Departmentof Drug and Crime Prevention and Control, said that leaders of drug traffickingrings make use of local addicts, who typically have relatives in Laos and knowthe geography very well, to smuggle the drugs.
Earlier, drug traffickers could be detained and indicted for transporting morethan 10 ecstasy tablets. But the latest amendment requiring tests done tospecify the content of narcotics in each case has made it more difficult forauthorities to crackdown on the crime.
Since they have to define the crime and impose penalties based on the narcoticscontent, authorities cannot do much when the traffickers carry smaller amountsbut increase the number of cross-border trips.
The smuggled drugs are later collected and transported to other areas.
The provincial Border Guard estimates that every day, about 20 youth cross theVietnamese-Lao border, smuggling small quantities of drugs. The youth spend 40,000VND (1.5 USD) each ecstasy tablet and sell it for 100,000-150,000 VND (3.9-5.8USD).
In 2016, the border guards busted 39 cases of drug trafficking and detained 96people.
Colonel Nguyen Van Dien, head of the provincial Border Guard’s Department ofDrug and Crime Prevention and Control, said catching traffickers with smallquantities of drugs in raids was not an effective solution. The root of theproblem was ring leaders, he said.
They have strengthened cooperation with their Lao counterparts in busting drugtrafficking gangs in both countries, he added.
Hoang Huu Chien, commander of the provincial Border Guard Command, said that inorder to prevent drug crimes in border areas, the Command has assigned cadresto coordinate with local Party Committees and administrations to raise publicawareness on the issue.
The border guards would continue investigating and compiling lists of suspectsas they continue their fight against drug abuse and trafficking, he said.-VNS/VNA
They also say that efforts to fight drug trafficking in the area have beenhampered by a change in rules that determines punishment, including detention,on the narcotics content of the drugs seized.
This has created a loophole that traffickers exploit by smuggling reducedquantities of narcotics each time, but increasing the number of cross-bordertrips.
Colonel Nguyen Thuan Hoa, head of the anti-drug trafficking unit under theprovince’s Department of Police, told the Tien Phong (Vanguard)newspaper that increased trafficking has complicated the fight against drugaddiction in the border district of Huong Hoa in recent years.
The police department estimates that there are more than 1,100 drug addicts inthe province at present, half of them in Huong Hoa district, especially in LaoBao town and Tan Thanh commune.
Vietnam’s Quang Trị and Laos’ Savannakhet provinces share a border that is156km long, with the Lao Bao-Densavan border gate connecting the East-WestEconomic Corridor.
Drug traffickers are taking advantage of the area’s topography to hireVietnamese immigrants to set up drug trafficking rings for smuggling drugs fromSavannakhet into Quang Tri through the Lao Bao International Border Gate.
Officials say that the situation worsened when Laos tightened tradingactivities in the border areas in 2014, leaving a large group of Vietnameseimmigrants unemployed. These people - many of whom were addicts - then returnedto Vietnam and set up drug trafficking rings.
Hoa said drug addiction has become widespread in villages along the Vietnam-Laoborder route in recent years. Drug addicts, mostly local residents, soon becomedrug traffickers who are hired to carry small amounts of drugs into Vietnam. Itwas difficult to deter these violators as the narcotics content was not enoughto arrest them and launch legal proceedings, he said.
Many traffickers do not even have enough money to pay fines for theirviolations, and all the police can do is seizing the smuggled drugs, he added.
Currently, there are 86 people on the local police’s list of drug traffickingsuspects, all of them belonging to ethnic minority communities in Huong Hoa district.Most of these suspects are juveniles, unemployed, and drug addicts. The policealso say that the real number could be much higher.
Colonel Ha Trong Hoan, deputy head of the provincial Border Guard’s Departmentof Drug and Crime Prevention and Control, said that leaders of drug traffickingrings make use of local addicts, who typically have relatives in Laos and knowthe geography very well, to smuggle the drugs.
Earlier, drug traffickers could be detained and indicted for transporting morethan 10 ecstasy tablets. But the latest amendment requiring tests done tospecify the content of narcotics in each case has made it more difficult forauthorities to crackdown on the crime.
Since they have to define the crime and impose penalties based on the narcoticscontent, authorities cannot do much when the traffickers carry smaller amountsbut increase the number of cross-border trips.
The smuggled drugs are later collected and transported to other areas.
The provincial Border Guard estimates that every day, about 20 youth cross theVietnamese-Lao border, smuggling small quantities of drugs. The youth spend 40,000VND (1.5 USD) each ecstasy tablet and sell it for 100,000-150,000 VND (3.9-5.8USD).
In 2016, the border guards busted 39 cases of drug trafficking and detained 96people.
Colonel Nguyen Van Dien, head of the provincial Border Guard’s Department ofDrug and Crime Prevention and Control, said catching traffickers with smallquantities of drugs in raids was not an effective solution. The root of theproblem was ring leaders, he said.
They have strengthened cooperation with their Lao counterparts in busting drugtrafficking gangs in both countries, he added.
Hoang Huu Chien, commander of the provincial Border Guard Command, said that inorder to prevent drug crimes in border areas, the Command has assigned cadresto coordinate with local Party Committees and administrations to raise publicawareness on the issue.
The border guards would continue investigating and compiling lists of suspectsas they continue their fight against drug abuse and trafficking, he said.-VNS/VNA
VNA
