Thanh Hóa, May 15, 2026 – The Europe Today: Police in Thanh Hóa Province and their counterparts in Huaphanh Province have dismantled two transnational drug trafficking operations, arresting four suspects and seizing 23.4 kilograms of narcotics and precursor chemicals, authorities announced on Thursday.
According to officials, the joint operation resulted in the confiscation of more than 26,000 synthetic drug tablets, 2.5 bars of heroin, 3.1 kilograms of liquid methamphetamine, 4.5 kilograms of kratom leaves containing methamphetamine, and 12 kilograms of precursor chemicals used in heroin production. Law enforcement officers also recovered a firearm during the raids.
Investigators said the suspects admitted using passenger buses and courier delivery services to transport drugs from the Golden Triangle region and the Laotian capital Vientiane to Huaphanh Province before smuggling the narcotics across the border into Việt Nam.
Authorities revealed that since September 2025, police forces from Thanh Hóa and Huaphanh provinces have jointly uncovered two major cross-border trafficking networks. The coordinated operations have led to arrests in 14 separate cases involving 19 suspects linked to the transportation and distribution of illegal drugs from Laos into Thanh Hóa Province.
Nguyễn Văn Long, Deputy Minister of Public Security of Việt Nam, sent a commendation letter to Thanh Hóa provincial police, praising officers for their professionalism, dedication, and bravery in combating international narcotics trafficking through cross-border cooperation.
