Global Courant 2023-04-29 14:30:00
Vietnamese police said this week they discovered six more shipments of drugs smuggled into the country via the same route.
The 65 suspects were apprehended shortly afterwards and are being investigated for various charges, including buying, selling and transporting drugs, local media reported.
Police believe the same smuggling ring that hired the flight attendants directed the 65 suspects, and the syndicate is likely tapping Vietnamese nationals studying and living in France to transport drugs to Vietnam.
The amount of drugs entering the country via air routes in the past three months has exceeded the amount of drugs trafficked by air in the past five years, Vietnamese authorities said.
Vietnam has one of the strictest drug laws in the world. Despite this, it remains a major hub of human trafficking.
Ho Chi Minh City is an attractive transfer point due to its proximity to neighboring Cambodia.
Those convicted in Vietnam of possessing or smuggling more than 600g of heroin or more than 2.5kg of methamphetamine face the death penalty.
The same penalty applies to the production or sale of illegal narcotics in excess of certain quantities.
