Vietnamese gang hid 2kg meth in tamarind jars for Japan
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- Bangkok police announced on July 17 that a Vietnamese-led gang smuggled more than 2kg of crystal meth inside tamarind paste jars from Thailand to Tokyo, discovered after a courier flagged the heavy containers to officers on July 13.
- Investigators recovered six foil-wrapped packages from the jars, which tested positive for crystal methamphetamine (ice).
- Police say a senior Vietnamese figure in Hanoi directed the operation, using anonymous Facebook accounts to recruit riders who collected packages from homes occupied by Vietnamese nationals in Thailand, creating multiple layers to obscure the trail.
- Sompong, a Thai suspect, allegedly provided his bank account for payments; Vietnamese co-conspirators took turns withdrawing between 20,000 and 50,000 baht (S$768) in cash before returning to Vietnam.
- Four arrest warrants have been issued — one for Sompong and three for Vietnamese nationals — though investigators believe more than four people were involved; Sompong has denied the allegations.
- Police are examining whether Sompong's girlfriend knew about the operation, though she was not named in any of the four warrants.
Why it matters: The bust exposes the layered tradecraft Vietnamese meth networks use to reach Japan via Thailand — anonymous Facebook recruitment, rotating small-sum cash withdrawals (20,000–50,000 baht), and unsuspecting couriers — insulating the Hanoi-based directors behind multiple nationalities and jurisdictions.
