Traffic police operating in the central province of Nghe An announced on November 28 the successful arrest of two Vietnamese men who were attempting to smuggle a huge quantity of firecrackers from China into Vietnam.

250kg of illegal firecrackers seized by police in Nghe An  

The arrests come after police spotted a suspicious seven-seater vehicle, registered 37A – 403.82, as they were on duty on National Highway 1A in Dien Thinh commune of Dien Chau district at 23:40 on November 26.

After pulling the car over, police conducted a search of the vehicle, during which they discovered 15 boxes containing a total of 250kg of firecrackers.

There were two men inside at the time of the vehicle being pulled over, including the driver Nguyen Duc Thong, 25, of Cat Van commune, Thanh Chuong district, and Hoang Vo, 30, of Dien Thanh commune, Dien Chau district.

Upon being questioned, the two suspects admitted to purchasing the firecrackers for VND10 million from a Chinese man on November 20.

The pair then hid the goods on a ship which transported them to Hon La port in Quang Binh province.

Following their arrival, Duc Thong went to Vinh City in order to hire the seven-seater car before returning to collect Hoang Vo and the shipment. From there the duo intended the take the goods to Nghe An province in order to sale them.

The case remains under further investigation.