Sophisticated tricks at a "huge" drug factory in Khanh Hoa

The illegal synthetic drug factory with modern equipment is located in a remote cemetery area with few people passing by. The subjects always assign guards day and night along with a surveillance camera system and dogs to detect intruders.

Inside the illegal drug factory led by Truong Xuan Minh. Photo: Department of Investigation Police on Drug Crimes.

The Drug Crime Investigation Police Department, Ministry of Public Security, has just dismantled the largest criminal organization illegally producing synthetic drugs ever, seizing 1.4 tons of drugs.

Accordingly, from August 2024, the Department of Investigation Police on Drug Crimes received information from Chinese authorities about two subjects with a history of being involved in illegal drug production in China who had left for Vietnam with a large shipment of glass tubes transported to Vietnam, suspected of being involved in illegal drug production.

Immediately afterwards, the Drug Crime Investigation Department assigned detectives to collect documents and verify the information. After 1 month of collecting information and identifying subjects with signs of preparing to produce illegal drugs in Vietnam, at the end of September 2024, the Drug Crime Investigation Department decided to establish a special project, deploy forces, apply synchronous professional measures, determined to eradicate the network, and arrest all subjects.

After 6 months of establishing a special project and monitoring all movements of the subjects, the Department of Investigation Police on drug crimes has built a diagram and the roles of the subjects in the ring. The leader of the ring is Truong Xuan Minh (51 years old), Taiwanese nationality (China). Subject Minh came to Vietnam in 2021, creating a cover for investment, business, and raising ornamental fish. After that, subject Minh lived as husband and wife with Pham Thi Le Han (30 years old) in Khanh Hoa. Minh is also effectively assisted by Doan Van Hung (42 years old), from Khanh Hoa.

In November 2024, Minh asked someone to rent a 1,000 m2 plot of land in the Northern Cemetery, Vinh Luong Commune, Nha Trang City (Khanh Hoa Province). This is a remote area with few people passing by and difficult access. In addition, Minh also assigned people to guard, install surveillance cameras, and raise dogs to detect intruders. To gather materials, chemicals, and related equipment, Minh rented an additional 300 m2 plot of land over 3km from the facility.

After renting the land, Truong Xuan Minh hired 2 Chinese and 4 Vietnamese people to construct and build the facility, install a 3-phase electrical system, buy a generator, and Minh also installed drug production lines, including 7 large-capacity reactor and refrigeration systems, centrifuges, odor treatment machines, vacuum pumps, water filters, etc.

At the end of January 2025, the factory was completed, the subjects transferred raw materials and chemicals and started production phase one. The chemicals were put into the mixer, combined with additives and adjusted the temperature to create a reaction between the chemicals.

The finished product of this stage was about 1.8 tons of yellow powder, which the subjects packed into 27 foam boxes and then sent to a cold storage in Nha Trang. At the same time, they announced a halt to production and let the subjects go home. At this stage, the subjects created a cover for producing foaming agents for wastewater treatment.

Just a few days later, Minh recruited four other people and hired two Taiwanese (Chinese) people with drug production skills to continue with the second phase. Minh bought many large pots, cotton, plastic baskets, and industrial gas stoves. The finished products in the first phase were brought to the factory, solvents were added, continuously heated on a gas stove, then filtered through a layer of cotton to create sediment and then used a centrifuge to produce a white powder. Next, the subjects took them to the warehouse at 47 Cat Loi, Nha Trang City to carry out the final phase to produce pure ketamine. All activities were mainly carried out by the subjects from night to morning and carried out over many days.

At around 0:00 on March 22, nearly 200 police officers and soldiers simultaneously attacked and arrested subjects who were illegally producing drugs. At the production facility, the police seized 118 kg of finished ketamine, 160 liters of ketamine solution, 17 tons of chemicals, and production lines and equipment for drug production. At the warehouse at 47 Cat Loi, the authorities seized about 90 kg of ketamine, 270 liters of solution, and production lines and equipment for drug production. At the warehouse in Vinh Phuong commune (Nha Trang city), the police seized about 57 tons of chemicals and 380 liters of gas; subjects related to this criminal organization were temporarily detained for investigation and classification.

To date, the investigation agency has seized 1.4 tons of ketamine with very high purity, along with nearly 80 tons of chemicals, and arrested 11 subjects, including 4 Chinese subjects, 3 Taiwanese subjects (China), and 4 Vietnamese subjects. Through initial investigation, the subjects admitted to illegally producing drugs.

According to the Department of Investigation Police on Drug Crimes, the purest drug products are produced by highly skilled individuals and no small amount of drugs from this factory have been sold outside the Vietnamese market or transported for sale.

In the Letter of Commendation sent to the Drug Crime Investigation Police Department, the Ministry of Public Security and the Khanh Hoa Provincial Police, Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh warmly commended and highly appreciated the outstanding achievements of the police force. The Prime Minister requested the Ministry of Public Security and the Khanh Hoa Provincial People's Committee to have a form of commendation and propose competent authorities to commend the collectives and individuals directly involved in the fight against the case. At the same time, he directed the functional forces to continue to fight, expand and thoroughly dismantle this drug crime ring. Urgently consolidate documents and evidence to strictly handle the subjects before the law.

Source: https://daidoanket.vn/thu-doan-tinh-vi-tai-xuong-ma-tuy-khung-o-khanh-hoa-10302405.html