The subjects and drugs in the specialized project 268K (transporting drugs from Cambodia to Vietnam) were seized by C04 in June 2022. Photo provided by C04

By any means

Talking with the press recently, Major General Nguyen Van Vien, Director of Drug-related Crime Investigation Police Department (C04, Ministry of Public Security), said that the situation of drug-related crime around the world and in the regions was very complex. The production, sale, transportation and use of drugs, especially synthetic drugs, in Southeast Asia is taking place seriously and is tending to increase, posing many challenges to the prevention and control of drugs in Vietnam.

Regarding drug-related crimes on key routes, Director of C04 said that on the Northwest route, the situation of illegal trading and transportation of drugs from Laos into the Northwest provinces and using that as a base to be moved onto other provinces or a third country for consumption continued to be complicated. The competent forces of Dien Bien and Lai Chau provinces have arrested many cases of illegal trading and transportation of narcotics in very large quantities originating from Laos into Vietnam, seizing hundreds of bricks of heroin and hundreds of thousands of synthetic drugs.

For the Northeast route, during the Covid-19 pandemic, the Chinese authority strengthen the prevention and control activities and implemented the "Zero Covid" policy, so the trade and transportation of illegal drug between Vietnam and China decreased. However, some lines of illegal drug trafficking and transportation from the Northwest, North Central, and Southwest border provinces to some northern border provinces for transportation to China for consumption are still operated.

In the North of Central - Central Highlands route, the redirection of drug-related crimes from the southwestern provinces to those bordering Laos in the North Central region is becoming more complex. The drug source continued to be transported from the provinces of Hua Phan, Xieng Khouang, Bo Ly Kham Xay, Kham Muon of Laos to the provinces of Thanh Hoa, Nghe An, Ha Tinh, Quang Tri and Kon Tum of Vietnam, before going to southern provinces such as Binh Duong, Dong Nai and Ho Chi Minh City or western provinces like Hanoi, Hai Phong and Quang Ninh to consume.

On the southwest route, some Vietnamese subjects living in Cambodia hooked up with domestic subjects to form lines to buy and sell drugs and transport drugs from Cambodia across the southwest border into Vietnam using sophisticated tricks to hide on vehicles transporting agricultural and seafood goods. They taking advantage of the "green channel" to illegally transport narcotics to HCM City for consumption.

As well as by road, the crime situation on sea routes, aviation and postal service also has many potential risks, especially the complexities of air and postal routes.

Specifically, via the air, subjects take advantage of the form of express delivery and consignment of non-commercial goods and gifts to transport goods that are concealed very sophisticatedly from European countries to Vietnam for domestic consumption and sent to third countries. A trend of transporting synthetic drugs by air from Germany and the Netherlands to Vietnam through international shipping companies is emerging.

The sea route still has potential risks of people taking advantage of it to illegally trade and transport drugs in large quantities from abroad to Vietnam, transit through Vietnam and transport to a third country. The key areas are seaports in Ho Chi Minh City, Ba Ria - Vung Tau and Hai Phong.

Prevention

Facing the complex developments of the drug-related crime situation in recent times, following the direction of the leadership of the Ministry of Public Security with the view and motto "do not break the middle", arrest all drug trafficking lines and organizations, the ringleader, the police force has changed their thinking, methods and ways of operation.

The whole force proactively issued plans and synchronously applied professional measures to effectively organize the implementation of Professional Plan No.02 of the Ministry of Public Security on preventing and fighting drug-related crime on key routes, focusing on the Northwest, Northeast, North Central - Central Highlands and Southwest routes, Plan No. 376 of the Ministry of Public Security on implementing the MoU and strengthening cooperation in prevention and control drug activities between Vietnam and Laos, associated with the implementation of peak attacks to suppress drug-related crimes.

It is forecasted that in the future, the situation of drug-related crime will continue to develop very complicatedly, drug-related crime is a hidden crime and is considered a "crime of all kinds of crimes". Therefore, in order to reduce its occurrence, one of the important and fundamental solutions is to focus on strongly suppressing crime and drug evils through the implementation of the objectives of reducing supply, demand and harm, while destroying all lines and groups and arresting the number of ringleaders and leaders.

At the same time, strengthening international cooperation and coordination with the anti-drug enforcement forces of Customs, Border guards and Coast Guard to establish a joint project, proactively implemented drug prevention measures early and from remote, arrested drug-related crimes right from the border, resolutely not let Vietnam become an international drug transit area.