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| Young customers can easily buy funky balloon at bars.— Photo tienphong.vn |
Viet Nam News
QUẢNG NINH — The northern province of Quảng Ninh’s Drug Criminal Investigation Police Department in co-ordination with Hạ Long City police this week seized 221 tanks of nitric oxide (N2O), a gas often inhaled through a balloon.
On Wednesday night, policemen inspected Trần Bình pawn shop at Hạ Long Street, Bãi Cháy Ward.
The shop’s owner couldn’t present any invoice of origin of the goods so police seized all these goods to make a record of the administrative violation.
Nitric oxide is a stimulant gas commonly injected into a balloon, called a “funky balloon”. The excessive use of the balloons can lead to depression or even death, according to some doctors.
According to a Tiền Phong (Vanguard) newspaper source, the Trần Bình pawn shop was a warehouse for the sale of nitric oxide to Bãi Cháy and Hạ Long cities.
The warehouse was reportedly providing supply for funky balloons for karaoke bars. The price of a funky balloon was from VNĐ30,000 (small-size) to VNĐ150,000 (big-size).
The inhalation of funky balloons has become common among young people in Hạ Long City, where it’s easy to buy funky balloons at an outdoor bar or karaoke joint. — VNS
