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Australian Woman Arrested For Drug Trafficking In Vietnam
February 27, 2007 - Komfie Manalo - All Headline News Correspondent

Hanoi, Vietnam (AHN) - Authorities in Vietnam on Tuesday arrested an Australian woman for carrying over 1.4 kg of heroin, the local newspaper People's Army reported.

Reports said the woman, identified as Jasmine Luong, and holding an Australian passport, was about to board a flight from Vietnam's southern city of Ho Chi Minh to Australia, when police and customs officers were alerted.

Investigators said the 33-year-old Luong is believed to be a member of an international heroin trafficking syndicate founded in 2003. The group is suspected of using Vietnam as a key trans shipment point for its drug dealing.

The Ministry of Public Safety said that in 2006, Vietnam detected 10,783 drug-related cases, detaining 16,686 involved people, and seizing 276.6 kg of heroin, 645 kg of marijuana, 62,870 lab-made drug pills, and 167,138 pills and tubes containing addictive substances.

Under Vietnam's laws, anyone possessing, trading or trafficking heroin of 600 grams or above can be sentenced to death or life in prison.

In June 2003, A Vietnamese court sentenced an Australian woman to a life sentence and her 14-year-old sister given a four-year prison term after they were found guilty of trafficking drugs.

Phan Thi Ngoc Phuong, 25, was given a life sentence by the Ho Chi Minh City People's Court despite demands by prosecutors that she receive the death penalty.

Prosecutors had also asked that her sister, Phan Ngoc Viet Phi, be jailed for between eight and 10 years.

No criminal proceedings were brought against their youngest sister, Phan Ngoc Viet Chau, 12, because Vietnamese law prohibits prosecution of people under the age of 14. She was released into the care of relatives and will now be allowed to return to Australia.

Aussie faces criminal investigation in drug arrest

The Police Department for Drug Crime Investigation said it will launch a criminal investigation into a Vietnamese Australian over her illegal transportation of narcotic drugs.

Jasmine Luong or Luong Thi Sinh, 33, carried more than 1.4 kg of heroin when she was arrested at the Tan Son Nhat International Airport on February 13 while preparing to board a flight to Sydney, the department said.

Luong was found to have involved in a heroin trafficking ring which was established in 2003 and has been mostly transporting drugs by air.

A relative of Luong was also suspected for involvement in trafficking drugs. (VNA)

Australian woman caught in Vietnam with drugs
Vietnamese Police said they would begin investigation of a Vietnamese-Australian drug gangster after she was caught trying to leave the country with drugs two weeks ago.

Jasmine Luong, aka Luong Thi Sinh, 33, was preparing to board a flight to Australia from Ho Chi Minh City’s Tan Son Nhat International Airport on Feb. 13 when she was found carrying over 1.4 kg of heroin, the drugs investigation police said.

They said Luong was a member of an international heroin trafficking gang formed in 2003 which used Vietnam as a drug transit point.

A relative of Luong was also suspected of involvement in drug trafficking.

Last year Vietnam busted 10,783 drug-related cases, arresting 16,686 people and seizing 276.6 kg of heroin and 645 kg of marijuana besides thousands of pills and other psychotropic substances.

Under Vietnamese law anyone possessing, trading, or trafficking 600 grams or more of heroin faces death or life in prison.

Source: VNA, Xinhua

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