The Ministry of Public Security’s Drug Crime Investigation Department (C04) has coordinated with border and local law enforcement to dismantle a massive transnational drug trafficking ring smuggling 1.2 tons of narcotics from the Golden Triangle into Vietnam.

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Deputy Minister of Public Security Nguyen Van Long (in white shirt) interrogates suspect Chu Anh Tuan. Photo: C04

On the afternoon of November 20, a C04 representative confirmed that the joint operation with the Border Guard’s Drug and Crime Prevention Unit led to the takedown of a highly organized, transnational network operating with extreme sophistication.

The investigation began in early July 2025, when two suspects  -  Tran Quoc Huy (25) and Duong Cao Huy (26) from Hanoi  -  came under suspicion. At the same time, a separate surveillance unit traced a major smuggling route from Laos to Vietnam, allegedly led by Tran Duc Thanh (42, Nghe An) and Chu Anh Tuan (43, Phu Tho). The two investigations soon converged, linking both groups.

Sophisticated trafficking network masked by encrypted apps and remote drops

Authorities determined that the network was sprawling, well-funded, and operated in a strictly compartmentalized manner. The suspected kingpin, Long, a Vietnamese national on the run abroad, directed operations using encrypted messaging apps like Telegram and Signal, along with aliases.

Drugs were hidden in remote, unpopulated locations. GPS coordinates and photos were then sent to couriers, allowing handlers to avoid face-to-face contact and making detection difficult.

Investigators discovered that during an overseas trip, Chu Anh Tuan had met Long, who offered him $3,000 per kilogram to handle deliveries within Vietnam. In May 2025, Long arranged a drop of 300kg of narcotics at Sim Garden Stadium (Phu Tho Province). Tuan hid the drugs at the home of his aunt, Nguyen Thi Cuc, and her husband Hoang Van Sang, in Cho Canh Hamlet, Binh Nguyen Commune.

There, the drugs were portioned into smaller batches. Tuan and Cuc then repeatedly transported the packages to an abandoned house near Dong Ma Cemetery, a secluded location. Once stashed, they sent GPS pins and photos back to Long.

To avoid detection, Long instructed two other operatives  -  Nguyen Van Thai (31, Bac Ninh) and Trinh Thi Kieu (25, Thanh Hoa)  -  to pick up the goods and deliver them. Each trip involved 2 to 24 kilograms, and within just two months, the group had distributed all 300kg.

Second wave: 930kg trafficked from Laos to Hanoi

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Drugs disguised and seized from the operation. Photo: C04

In August 2025, Tran Duc Thanh agreed to transport 930kg of synthetic drugs to Hanoi for $250,000, hired by a Laotian contact. Thanh recruited Pham Van Dung (54, Hai Phong), a container truck driver, to move 49 sacks of drugs across the border.

On August 17, Dung delivered the cargo to Tuan at Sim Garden Stadium. Tuan again hid the shipment at his aunt’s house. From August 18 to September 17, more than 200kg was distributed to various provinces, including the southern region.

Operation 825P: Simultaneous raids across provinces

At 9:30 PM on September 21, police launched coordinated raids across multiple locations. In Cho Canh Hamlet, Phu Tho, C04 and the Border Guard arrested Chu Anh Tuan, Trinh Thi Kieu, Nguyen Thi Cuc, and Hoang Van Sang. They seized 706kg of synthetic drugs, a vacuum sealing machine used for packaging, and related materials.

In simultaneous operations, 10 other task forces arrested 11 suspects in other provinces, confiscating over 70kg of additional drugs. These suspects were frequent distributors for Long, breaking up the cargo for resale.

So far, 13 suspects have been prosecuted in the case, and authorities have seized a total of 777kg of synthetic drugs.

Kingpin revealed: Tran Van Quyet, fugitive near the Golden Triangle

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Bags of synthetic drugs confiscated by police. Photo: C04

Through advanced investigative techniques, authorities identified the fugitive kingpin known as "Long" as Tran Van Quyet (40), originally from Ho Chi Minh City.

Quyet is wanted by HCM City Police under two warrants for illegal drug trafficking and is believed to be hiding near the Golden Triangle  -  a notorious global hotspot for narcotics.

While in hiding, Quyet built extensive ties with Vietnamese nationals abroad, forming multiple drug smuggling routes into Vietnam. One of these was operated by Chu Anh Tuan.

The case, codenamed Operation 825P, has revealed not only a major criminal enterprise but also the growing threat posed by international drug networks using encrypted communication and remote coordination to smuggle drugs into Southeast Asia.

Dinh Hieu