Mua Ba Vu, 41, the chairman of Na Ngoi Commune in Ky Son District, is currently in detention under investigation for “illegal drug transportation.”
Police hold Mua Ba Vu as the drugs seized from him is displayed at a police station in Nghe An Province, Jan. 9, 2025. Photo by Read/Hoa Vang |
His accomplice, Le Hoang Cuong, 35, a resident of Hanoi, is also facing the same charge.
Vu, who has served as the chairman of Na Ngoi for two years, previously worked for decades as a Party Inspection Committee official and deputy chairman of the commune.
Na Ngoi, a remote commune located in Ky Son District and bordering Laos, is predominantly inhabited by the Hmong ethnic group and is known for its mountainous terrain and challenging road conditions.
According to investigators, over the past few months, Vu exploited his position and local knowledge to collaborate with foreign individuals in smuggling drugs through unofficial border routes into Vietnam. Cuong played a crucial role in the operation, assisting Vu with transporting the drugs for further distribution.
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Le Hoang Cuong was restrained by police. Photo by Read/Hoa Vang |
Police uncovered Vu’s operation in early January. On Jan. 9, around 1 a.m., Vu was seen driving a pickup truck from Ky Son District to Vinh City (also in Nghe An) with packages of drugs.
Surveillance teams tracked him closely. By 7 a.m., a task force intercepted his vehicle in Vinh. Despite orders to stop, Vu attempted to flee but was surrounded by police, who fired warning shots and subdued him.
Upon searching the vehicle, authorities seized 35 kg of synthetic drugs and four packs of heroin, each weighing about 350 grams. The drugs had been concealed in tea packaging and plastic bags.
Another team of police arrested Cuong in Vinh, where he was engaged in drug transportation and sales. The confiscated drugs would have been worth billions of dong had they been successfully distributed. (VND1 billion = US$40,000).
A task force approaches Mua Ba Vu, fires warning shots and subdues him in Vinh City of Nghe An Province, Jan. 9, 2025. Video by local people
Local authorities in Na Ngoi Commune expressed shock at Vu’s arrest, describing him as a capable and responsible official who showed no signs of wrongdoing. Plans are underway to appoint a replacement for his position.
This arrest follows the December 2024 capture of Mua Dua Thai, 55, the former Party Secretary and Chairman of Na Ngoi Commune, who, along with three accomplices, was caught trafficking over 28,000 synthetic drug pills across borders.
The investigation is ongoing.
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