Ho Chi Minh City police bust drug paraphernalia ring producing over 100,000 items

Investigators from the Ho Chi Minh City Department of Public Security announced on Monday that it had prosecuted 12 suspects for alleged illegal drug trading and the production, possession, transportation, or sale of equipment and tools used for illegal drug consumption.

The case was uncovered after police traced the origin of 10 unused glass pipes that had been delivered to drug users.

Earlier this month, team 3 under the city’s drug crime investigation police division, in coordination with police in Binh Tan Ward, conducted an administrative inspection at a house in the ward.

Officers found Ho Thi Bao Nhi and Huynh Van Thang testing positive for methamphetamine.

During the inspection, police seized two packets of drugs, a glass pipe bearing drug residue, a lighter, and 10 unused glass pipes that had just been delivered to the location.

Determined to eliminate the conditions facilitating drug-related crimes, investigators expanded their inquiry into the origin of the paraphernalia.

Based on collected evidence, authorities concluded that the 10 glass pipes were linked to a large-scale network involved in the production, sale, and supply of equipment used for drug consumption.

At around the same time, police in Tan Dinh Ward uncovered several leads connected to the trading and transportation of glass pipes, glass bongs, and other drug-use equipment.

In response, the director of the Ho Chi Minh City police department and the head of the city’s investigation agency ordered the establishment of a special task force to investigate the entire network.

Police officers focused not only on drug users but also on individuals involved in producing, transporting, selling, and supplying drug-use equipment.

The investigation discovered an organized operation with clearly defined roles covering the supply of raw materials, manufacturing, processing, storage, transportation, and distribution.

Investigators determined that the suspects had exploited legitimate businesses dealing in glassware and household goods to manufacture and trade large quantities of glass pipes, glass bongs, miniature scales, zip-lock bags, lighters, and other items commonly used for illegal drug consumption.

To conceal their activities, the suspects used mobile phones, social media platforms, and delivery applications to conduct transactions, creating a closed supply chain from production to distribution.

Simultaneous raids at multiple locations across Ho Chi Minh City resulted in the seizure of more than 100,000 items, tools, and semi-finished products linked to the production and sale of drug-use equipment.

The confiscated items included more than 14,000 finished glass pipes, nearly 2,000 glass bongs, tens of thousands of glass tubes and tube segments, as well as large quantities of miniature scales, zip-lock bags, lighters, gas cylinders, oxygen cylinders, oxygen generators, blowtorches, and other specialized production equipment.

Investigators identified Dam Thi Mai as the central figure behind the production and distribution network.

Several other suspects were found to have participated in manufacturing, delivery, advertising, sales, transportation, and distribution activities over an extended period.

Although they were fully aware that the items were commonly used by drug users for illegal drug consumption, the suspects allegedly continued producing and selling them for illicit profit.