Vietnam Airlines staff investigated for drug trafficking

Ho Chi Minh City police are investigating four flight attendants working for national flag carrier Vietnam Airlines for transporting 11 kilograms of drugs from France to Vietnam on Thursday.

Methamphetamine and ketamine were found in toothpaste tubes and mouthwash bottles inside the flight attendants' luggage after their flight from France.

The four women appeared surprised when Tan Son Nhat Airport customs officials told them about the drug in their luggage. They cried, telling the investigative agency that they had helped an unnamed individual in France transport the goods to Vietnam in return for over VND10 million ($420).

They claimed they had not checked the packages thoroughly as they had been too exhausted after a long trip. The packages passed security checks in France.

Vietnam Airlines has suspended the four staff pending the investigation.

Tan Son Nhat International Airport in HCMC serves over 150 flights a day with about 40,000 passengers. In 2022, the airport’s customs officials detected 198 violations, of which 46 were related to drugs.

In the year to March 14, the force detected 44 violations, including eight involving a total of 15 kilograms of various drugs.

In Vietnam, transportation of 100 grams of heroin, cocaine, methamphetamine, amphetamine, MDMA, or 300 grams of other solid drugs, is subject to punishment of up to 20-year jail terms, life imprisonment, or the death penalty, according to Article 250 of the Penal Code.