Efforts to build police headquarters in border villages and hamlet clusters

Recently, the drug situation in the Vietnam-Laos border area continues to be complicated. The border area has hundreds of trails and openings, many complicated drug hotspots, and is an area where many ethnic minorities live, without stable jobs, relying on carrying and transporting drugs for a living.

After Vietnamese authorities launched a strong crackdown in the northwestern border provinces, drug criminals moved to the north-central border area of Vietnam. Currently, Vietnamese wanted criminals hiding in Laos are always ready to collude with domestic criminals to transport drugs to Vietnam.

The methods of operation of criminals are very sophisticated, they often rely on existing relationships between ethnic groups, relatives, and siblings in the family, using modern means and techniques, the internet, communication applications such as Zalo, Facebook... to commit crimes.

On the route, there are many large drug trafficking and transportation lines established with the collusion of Vietnamese subjects with foreigners to transport drugs from Laos to Vietnam for consumption or to continue transporting to other countries.

During transportation, drugs are hidden in natural or reinforced spaces of objects and vehicles such as gas tanks, trunks, seats, doors, chassis, tires or helmets, wooden handicrafts, goods, speaker boxes, Chinese brand tea packages or hidden in the body... to avoid control by authorities.

In 2021, the National Drug Crime Investigation Police force detected more than 25,000 cases, arrested more than 37,000 subjects, seized 596 kg of heroin; 2.6 tons and 2.4 million synthetic drug pills; nearly 1 ton of marijuana; 67 military guns, 7 grenades and many related vehicles and assets.

According to Lieutenant General To An Xo, Chief of Office, Spokesperson of the Ministry of Public Security, in order to continue to fight against drug crimes, and prevent drugs from being smuggled across the Vietnam-Laos border, the anti-drug forces of the Ministry of Public Security, the police of the provinces bordering Vietnam-Laos, and other functional forces have made efforts, day and night, to prevent, strengthen the fight, and cut off the "octopus tentacles" from the other side of the border trying to bring drugs into Vietnam.

Along with implementing professional measures, the Ministry of Public Security is continuing to advise the Government to direct units and localities to strengthen the implementation of preventive measures to combat drug crimes, especially on the Vietnam-Laos border.

Strengthen international cooperation in the prevention and control of drug crimes, especially with countries sharing borders... especially the exchange of information on subjects, networks as well as gangs and groups to establish special projects to combat and eradicate them.

Minister of Public Security, General To Lam, has repeatedly emphasized that drug crimes are “crimes of crimes”, therefore, focusing on fighting and suppressing drug crimes, preventing the emergence and formation of transnational drug crime lines from Laos to Vietnam for consumption and transportation to third countries, taking advantage of Vietnam to become an international drug transit area is a key task in public security work.

In particular, the Vietnamese Ministry of Public Security is making efforts to cooperate and improve the capacity of functional forces in implementing the construction of police headquarters for villages and clusters of border villages on the Vietnam-Laos border.

Since August, in the capital of Vientiane, Lao People's Democratic Republic, Minister To Lam and the Lao Minister of Public Security have signed a document supplementing the cooperation plan between the two countries' Ministries of Public Security with many important contents... This is a very meaningful policy, demonstrating the special affection and sharing of joys and sorrows between the Vietnamese Ministry of Public Security and the Lao Ministry of Public Security, especially in the context that Vietnam is also facing many socio-economic difficulties due to the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic.

On November 12, Lieutenant General Nguyen Duy Ngoc, Deputy Minister of Public Security, and representatives of the Lao Ministry of Public Security attended the groundbreaking ceremony for the construction of the Na Thon Village Police Headquarters, Kham Cot District, Bolikhamxay Province, Lao People's Democratic Republic.

With the construction of the Border Police Headquarters according to the agreement between the two countries' Ministries of Public Security, the two sides will better coordinate to ensure security and order in the border areas, effectively combat all types of crimes, especially transnational drug trafficking and transportation crimes that take advantage of Laos and Vietnam to operate, contributing to maintaining peace in the two countries, thereby consolidating and fostering the special solidarity and traditional friendship between Vietnam and Laos. Up to now, the police units and localities have organized the groundbreaking ceremony for 90 border police headquarters.

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