Police in An Phú District, An Giang Province bust a case of illegal drug transport from Cambodia to Việt Nam in March this year. —VNA/VNS Photo

HÀ NỘI — In the first half of 2023, police forces along the Việt Nam-Cambodia border have investigated more than 1,900 cases related to narcotics, according to the Drug Crime Investigation Police Department (C04) at a conference on Wednesday. 

Around 3,500 people were arrested and approximately 65kg of heroin, 8kg of cannabis, 590kg and 99,000 pills of synthetic drugs were seized. 

Police at 10 provinces bordering Cambodia and HCM City have arrested 21 wanted suspects, and estimate that there are still around a dozen wanted fugitives hiding in Cambodia. 

Lieutenant General Nguyễn Văn Viện, head of the C04 Department said that there are cases of foreigners entering Việt Nam under the disguise of tourism, family visits and business to collude with locals in trading drugs.

They take advantage of convenient travel and trade between countries in the region, as well as loopholes in the systems, to illegally transport narcotics from the area between Thailand, Laos or Cambodia, he said.

The drugs then arrive in Việt Nam before being transferred to a third country for consumption. 

Fully aware of the importance of international cooperation in preventing illegal narcotics, Vietnamese authorities have been working with their Cambodian counterparts to amp up actions and generate remarkable results, said Lieutenant General Viện.

While giving high regard to this collaboration, he added that the situation of drug crimes at the border areas is on the rise and becoming more complicated in terms of scale and operational scope. 

This requires law enforcers of the two countries to further cooperate in the prevention and control of narcotics in the future, Viện said. — VNS