On 27/2, the Customs Department announced it had coordinated with Anti-Drug Smuggling Control Team No. 3, Tan Son Nhat International Airport Border Gate Customs, Ho Chi Minh City Police, and the Ministry of Public Security to arrest a Thai female tourist for illegal drug trafficking.

The drugs were hidden in a secret compartment of the suitcase. Photo: Customs Department

Previously, on the afternoon of 5/2, at the arrival terminal of Tan Son Nhat International Airport, customs and related units inspected the woman's luggage shortly after her flight from South America.

Authorities found 4,5 kg of white powder concealed in the lining of her personal suitcase, wrapped in foil. A rapid test confirmed the substance was cocaine.

According to customs, the woman exploited international transit, planning to stay in Vietnam for only one hour before connecting to a third country to evade scrutiny. This method involved careful planning, leveraging short transit times and international flight routes to conceal drugs.

The drugs were identified as 4,5 kg of cocaine. Photo: Customs Department

The Customs Department stated that air drug trafficking remains complex, with increasingly sophisticated and transnational methods that exploit international transportation to hide criminal acts.

The timely detection and arrest demonstrate proactive intelligence gathering, effective inter-agency coordination, and the high resolve of customs forces in combating drug crime.

This arrest was part of a peak campaign against smuggling and drugs during the Binh Ngo Tet holiday. In the first two months alone, customs forces led and coordinated 35 cases, apprehending 42 individuals and seizing about 165 kg of various drugs.

Quoc Thang