Vietnam Convicts Six for Lacing Vapes with Drugs

Photo courtesy of VN Express

A Hanoi court has sentenced six individuals, including ringleaders Le Anh Tho and Phung Bao Ngoc, to lengthy prison terms for adding drugs to tobacco and e-cigarettes. The scheme involved lacing herbal and e-cigarettes with synthetics to sell for profit, targeting young users in Vietnam.

Tho, 30, received a 30-year sentence for smuggling and dealing in narcotics, and Ngoc, 30, was sentenced to 28 years for similar charges. The pair established processing labs and enlisted four others to infuse more than 2.7 kg of drugs into thousands of cigarettes.

Do Duy Lung and Hoang Van Quy both received 18-year sentences, Le Anh Duc was sentenced to 16 years, and Phung Quoc Viet received 15 years, all for their roles in the illegal operation.

The court heard how Tho and Ngoc began by importing disposable e-cigarettes from China via social media in August 2022. Initially, they struggled to sell their stock, costing over 725,000 Thai Baht (VND500 million), as the products failed to meet local preferences.

Identifying a high demand for stimulant-laden products, Tho devised a plan to enhance the unsold stock with drugs. He acquired drug-infused oil and powdered narcotics from China and mixed them with tobacco and e-cigarette liquids, branding them as "Dominix" and "Amstesdam" cigarettes and "Ampire Chill" e-cigarettes.

Quy, Lung, Duc, and Viet assisted by packaging and preparing shipments upon Tho's command. Although they sold out their stock, they couldn’t recall exact quantities produced.

In March 2023, Tho further procured 60 litres of oil and additional drug-infused materials from China, using bitcoin for transactions. However, in September 2024, during the production of 7,500 drug-laced e-cigarettes in a Hanoi warehouse, authorities apprehended the gang. Police seized nearly 800g of the synthetic drug MDMB-4en-PINACA, commonly used in social venues across Hanoi.

Prosecutors described the operation as an especially serious transnational drug trafficking case, citing its innovative use of new synthetic drugs directly aimed at young people. From May to September 2023, the gang reportedly smuggled 2.7 kg of the synthetic drug and 100,000 e-cigarettes, valued at approximately 13 million Thai Baht (VND9 billion).

Authorities are still searching for an individual known only as Dat, suspected of smuggling e-cigarettes for the operation. A warrant has been issued for his arrest.

  Adapted by ASEAN Now from VN Express 2025-07-24