Hai Phong (VNA) – Customs officers in thenorthern port city of Hai Phong on March 21 seized a container suspected ofcontaining Khat leaves.
Khatleaves contain Cathinone, an amphetamine-like stimulant, which is said to causestrong euphoria and is 500-fold more dangerous than normal drugs.
Theinitial check showed goods in the container are dried herbal packed in 353carton boxes and weigh around 2.8 tonnes. The herbal were initially defined as bythe Ministry of Public Security’s Institute of Criminal Science as Khat leavesthat are listed as prohibited drugs.
InJuly 2016, the Hai Phong Department of Customs launched an investigation intothe trafficking of drugs from foreign countries to the Hai Phong port. A monthlater, local customs officers discovered a suspected shipment coded “The Vert”imported from an African country. The recipient written on the waybill is aVietnamese company, which specialises in import and re-export business.
TheHai Phong Department of Customs coordinated with the Investigation Bureau ofthe General Department of Customs and the Drug Crime Investigation Office(PC47) of the Hai Phong Police to seize the container. But, the company refusedto receive the shipment.
OnMarch 20, the Hai Phong Department of Customs also examined a suspected shipmentand detected Shisha inside. Shisha is a kind of goods subject to closemanagement by state agencies and restricted for importing.
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Illustrative image (Source: VNA)
