Police explain the release of 4 flight attendants carrying drugs

Lieutenant Colonel Le Manh Ha at the press conference on the afternoon of March 30. Photo: Thanh Nhan

Regarding the incident of 4 Vietnam Airlines flight attendants transporting contraband but not having enough grounds to initiate criminal proceedings, at the press conference on the afternoon of March 30, some reporters asked questions, requesting that Ho Chi Minh City Police clarify whether releasing the 4 flight attendants would create a bad precedent, allowing subjects involved in transporting drugs but claiming ignorance to escape legal punishment.

Responding to this issue, Lieutenant Colonel Le Manh Ha, Deputy Chief of Staff of Ho Chi Minh City Police, said that drug criminals always use many sophisticated methods and tricks to conceal their crimes.

"The responsibility of the police and investigation forces is to clarify the criminal's actions, not to let criminals escape but also not to wrongfully convict innocent people," emphasized Lieutenant Colonel Ha.

Citing specific evidence, Lieutenant Colonel Ha said that in March, Ho Chi Minh City Police prosecuted five people for smuggling drugs into other people's houses and then reporting them to slander innocent people.

In the case of the four flight attendants, the investigation agency did not have enough grounds to prosecute for violations of the law because the subjective element of the crime had not been proven.

"The investigation agency has initiated a criminal case and is investigating. Information will be released when results are available," said Mr. Ha.

Previously, on March 16, the Import Luggage Procedures Team (Ho Chi Minh City Customs Department) discovered suspicious items in the luggage of 4 female flight attendants on Vietnam Airlines flight number VN10 from France to Vietnam.

Ho Chi Minh City Customs Department then coordinated with the Drug Control Team (Ho Chi Minh City Customs Department) and the Drug Crime Investigation Police Department (Ministry of Public Security), the Southern Anti-Drug Smuggling Control Team, and the Drug Crime Investigation Police Department of Ho Chi Minh City Police to conduct a visual inspection.

Authorities discovered that the luggage of four flight attendants contained more than 8 kg of ecstasy and more than 3 kg of ketamine hidden and disguised in toothpaste tubes.

On March 22, the Ho Chi Minh City Police Investigation Agency decided to release the four flight attendants mentioned above.

According to Zing