Nigerian Man Caught with Drugs in Vietnam

A Nigerian man has been arrested in Vietnam after officials found 2kg of suspected crystal meth and two bricks of heroin hidden in a package from Laos.

VietnamPlus reported on Monday that the drugs were found at the Lao Bao International Border Gate in Quang Tri Province. Customs officers noticed suspicious images in a package during a scan.

The report said the case came to light around 8:30 pm on August 5. Customs officers were checking vehicles entering Vietnam from Laos at the border gate.

"Customs officers detected suspicious images in a consigned package using scanning equipment," the report stated.

A physical check revealed that the drugs were hidden inside electric water heaters and electronic parts used as cover. This discovery raised concerns about international drug trafficking. The Customs Sub-Department of Region IX then set up a customs control team to investigate.

The team worked with the Lao Bao International Border Gate's customs branch, the drug-related crimes police division under the Quang Tri Police, the anti-smuggling investigation unit, and the provincial Border Guard.

According to the report, these agencies collaborated "to identify and locate the recipient" of the package.

"After several days of tracing the consignment across multiple locations," officers arrested Izuchukwu Calistus Odionye, a Nigerian born in 1983. He was caught on August 9 in Ho Chi Minh City while receiving the package.

The suspect admitted that the package contained drugs. Odionye told investigators that he "had been hired to receive it in Ho Chi Minh City and transport it to Hanoi," as per the report.

Vietnamese authorities have since widened the investigation to find others involved in this case. "The investigation has been expanded to identify other people involved," the report added.