Vietnam, Laos review outcomes of cooperation in fighting drug-related crime

The 12th conference on combating drug-related crime among the Drug-related Crime Police Department under Vietnam’s Ministry of Public Security, the Department of Drug Prevention of the Border Guard Command under the Ministry of Defense, and the Lao Security Ministry’s Prevention and Counter Narcotic Police Department was held in Hanoi on December 26.

Delegates at the event.

The event saw the participation of Major General Pham Van Cac, head of the Drug-related Crime Police Department under Vietnam’s Ministry of Public Security; Senior Colonel Nguyen Van Hiep, Deputy Director of the Department of Drug Prevention of the Border Guard Command; and Colonel Inpong Chanthavongsa, Deputy Director of the Lao Security Ministry’s Prevention and Counter Narcotic Police Department.

According to reports at the event, 2018 saw a complicated situation of illegal drug trafficking along the Vietnam-Laos shared border.

The drug trafficking gangs with criminals of different nationalities often carried large amounts of heroin and synthetic drugs from the Golden Triangle across the Vietnam-Lao border into Vietnam before being transported to the third countries.

Delegates at the event.

Notably, cases of drug traffickers using dangerous weapons increased sharply while the amount of synthetic drugs that has been seized by the two countries’ anti-drug forces was on a rise.

In order to fight drug-related crimes along the Vietnam-Laos border, the drug prevention and control forces of the two countries in the localities on both sides of the shared border conducted 255 joint border patrols; destroyed 17 complicated points; successfully cracked down on 4,254 drug cases, including 98 serious ones.

Meanwhile, the forces also seized 497 kg of heroin, 584 kg of synthetic drugs, more than 560,000 synthetic drug tablets and many other exhibits.

At the conference, delegates informed each other of the outcomes of their fight against drug-related crimes in their designated localities. They also reviewed outcomes of the implementation of the agreed cooperation contents at the 11th conference, and shared experiences in drug prevention and control.

The drug-related crimes fighting forces also share with each other information about suspects of drug trafficking and cross-border drug trafficking routes and most-wanted lists.

The delegates then proposed cooperation mechanisms and strategic recommendations for cooperation in the fight against drug-related crime in the coming time.