Spokesperson of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs Phạm Thu Hằng responds to questions from the press at the ministry's regular press briefing on Thursday. — VNA/VNS Photo Nguyễn Hoa

HÀ NỘI — Việt Nam is determined to strictly deal with the acts of producing, trafficking and transporting drugs without distinguishing whether offenders are Vietnamese citizens or foreigners, Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokesperson Phạm Thu Hằng said.

At the ministry’s regular press conference in Hà Nội on Thursday, Hằng reiterated that Việt Nam has always actively boosted cooperation both bilaterally and multilaterally in crime prevention and control, including drug-related crimes.

According to the information the ministry has received, HCM City People’s Court on November 11 held a first-instance trial of a case of illegal drug transportation involving more than 216 kilos of illegal narcotics. 

Among the 18 defendants sentenced to death, there are two Koreans and one Chinese citizen.

According to court documents, on July 19, 2020, police forces at Tân Cảng-Cát Lái Port in HCM City searched a tractor suspected of illegal drug transportation and discovered 39.5kg of methamphetamine.

Investigations then show that from May to July 2020, the ring successfully stored, transported and traded 216.3kg of narcotics in HCM City, Đồng Nai and Bình Dương provinces, of which 162kg were seized by law enforcers. 

The substances were delivered from Cambodia to HCM City. Parts of the shipments were also transferred to South Korea. 

In case there is an appeal or protest against the ruling, competent authorities will continue to handle the case in line with legal regulations on criminal procedures, she added. — VNS