On November 23rd, according to Vietnamese media Baomoi, the Vietnamese police dismantled a production line for marijuana e-cigarettes and apprehended six suspects in a series of coordinated operations.
Previously, the Vietnamese Drug Crime Investigation Police Bureau conducted an inquiry by gathering information and stumbled upon numerous advertisements for the sale of e-cigarettes on social media platforms. During the course of investigation, authorities established that the mastermind behind these activities was Le Anh Tho.
Leandro goes online to search for formulas, then contacts individuals overseas through social networks to order synthetic marijuana, flavoring essential oils, chemicals, e-cigarette devices, and smoking pipes. These products are then shipped to warehouses in Hanoi by shipping companies.
According to authorities, all e-cigarette packaging and labels are custom-made by Liano, including the warranty and return policy for defective products. In order to evade detection by authorities, the subject frequently changes warehouses.
After producing finished cigarettes, he would instruct his subordinates to post advertisements and live streams on social media, falsely claiming that these products contain stimulants but are not marijuana products, in order to deceive users. The main objective is to target customers for bulk purchases, offering wholesale deals and determining the sales prices based on quantity. The more they buy, the cheaper the price, and vice versa.
The police discovered over 3,500 finished cigarettes injected with anesthesia-infused essential oils at the scene. They also found five plastic jars containing 84 liters of e-liquid, essential oil pumps mixed with synthetic drugs, as well as nearly 10,000 e-cigarettes. Additionally, they seized one million cigarette packs and numerous solvents, chemicals, raw materials, components, accessories, boxes, and labels used in the production and packaging of e-cigarettes.
In addition, authorities have also seized nearly 15,000 e-cigarettes containing e-liquid. These e-cigarettes were smuggled by Leandro from overseas and were intended to be sold on the market in Vietnam.
As of now, the Drug Crime Investigation Bureau in Vietnam has filed a case, prosecuted and detained six defendants.
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