A Nigerian national has been arrested in Vietnam after authorities allegedly found 2kg of suspected crystal methamphetamine and two suspected bricks of heroin concealed in a consignment from Laos.
VietnamPlus reported on Monday that the drugs were discovered at the Lao Bao International Border Gate in Quang Tri Province after customs officers detected suspicious images in a consigned package during a scan.
The report said the case was uncovered at about 8:30 pm on August 5 when customs officers were inspecting road vehicles entering Vietnam from Laos through the border gate.
“Customs officers detected suspicious images in a consigned package using scanning equipment,” the report stated.
A subsequent physical inspection reportedly revealed that the drugs had been concealed inside electric water heaters and electronic components “used as disguises.”
The discovery raised suspicions of transnational drug trafficking, prompting the Customs Sub-Department of Region IX to assign its customs control team to lead the investigation.
The team also coordinated with the Lao Bao International Border Gate’s customs branch, the drug-related crimes investigation police division under the Quang Tri Police, the anti-smuggling investigation sub-department and the provincial Border Guard.
According to the report, the agencies worked together “to identify and locate the recipient” of the consignment.
“After several days of tracing the consignment across multiple locations,” law enforcement officers arrested Izuchukwu Calistus Odionye, a Nigerian national born in 1983, on August 9 in Ho Chi Minh City while he was receiving the package.
The suspect reportedly admitted that the package contained drugs.
Odionye told investigators that he “had been hired to receive it in Ho Chi Minh City and transport it to Hanoi,” according to the report.
The Vietnamese authorities have since expanded the investigation to identify other people allegedly involved in the case.
“The investigation has been expanded to identify other people involved,” the report added.
