Quang Tri Provincial Police recently apprehended a driver after a two-kilometer chase involving a truck carrying a record quantity of smuggled cigarettes. The incident occurred at 8:30 p.m. on 21/1, when officers from the Economic Crime Department, in coordination with the Traffic Police Department, attempted to stop a Hanoi-plated truck on the eastern branch of Ho Chi Minh Road in Hieu Giang commune.

Authorities stated that the driver, Nguyen Huy Hoang, 27, from Bang Luan commune, Phu Tho province, accelerated and swerved on the road, attempting to evade the police and refusing to obey their commands. Law enforcement pursued the truck for approximately 2 km before setting up a roadblock, which ultimately forced Hoang to stop.

The seized cigarettes. *Photo: Khoi Tran*

Upon inspecting the truck bed, police discovered 148 packages of goods. These packages concealed 111,190 packs of various foreign-made cigarettes. The seized goods lacked proper invoices and documents proving their origin. The total value of the consignment is estimated at over 6 billion dong.

This seizure marks the largest quantity of smuggled cigarettes recorded in Quang Tri province to date. The case is currently under expanded investigation.

Dac Thanh