Vietnamese officials arrested four Vietnam Airlines flight attendants in Ho Chi Minh City after a flight home from Paris with drugs in their bags.

Smuggling three drugs

Yesterday at Tan Son Nhat International Airport (SGN), Vietnamese customs officials detected drugs in the bags of four Vietnam Airlines flight attendants. The items were discovered during a routine security clearance check. According to Radio Free Asia, the four flight attendants carried 112 tubes of toothpaste with 18.5 pounds (8.4 kilograms) of gray tablets and a further 42 tubes with 6.7 pounds (3.04 kilograms) of a white powder.

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The flight attendants told officials they were paid to take some goods to Vietnam and received $424 (ten million dong). After testing the toothpaste, officials discovered methamphetamine, ketamine, and cocaine. According to the report, the flight attendants told the officials they quickly checked the toothpaste for signs of tampering and did not find any.

The four flight attendants have been with the airline for about a year and are believed to have worked with a friend. The customs department held a press conference today, and officials expressed disappointment with the news the media shared early. Officials hoped to go after the culprits before the story was broken, but the leak hindered the investigation, and no one showed up at the airport to receive the "toothpaste."

Simple Flying contacted Vietnam Airlines for additional information and/or a statement and has not received a reply at the time of publication.

Other drug incidents with flight crew

In October, a Mesa Airlines flight attendant was caught smuggling fentanyl at San Diego International Airport. In December, she pleaded guilty to the charge of drug trafficking. Terese L. White, from Dallas, was caught by Transportation Security Administration personnel with packets taped to her abdomen. At the security checkpoint, she communicated that she was flight crew in an attempt to squeeze through.

White flew from Dallas to San Diego while off duty and exited the terminal even though she was booked on a flight to Boston later that day. When returning to the terminal, she attempted to bypass regular TSA through the Known Crew Member checkpoint but was selected for a random screening. At that point, she was sent to the TSA's body scanners, where TSA agents discovered something taped to her abdomen. The object turned out to contain three pounds of fentanyl.

A United States Drug Enforcement Agency agent, Shelly Howe, said the following about the incident,

"Drug traffickers use air, land and sea for personal gain, putting people’s lives in danger. We will continue the great work with our partners to bring traffickers to justice and keep our community safe." - Shelly Howe, DEA Special Agent in Charge

In December, authorities had not confirmed why White was transporting the drugs or who they were destined for. As Simple Flying last reported, White will be sentenced next Friday, March 24. White faces up to 20 years in prison.

Source: Radio Free Asia

• 

  Vietnam Airlines

  IATA/ICAO Code:

  VN/HVN

  Airline Type:

  Full Service Carrier

  Hub(s):

  Noi Bai International Airport (Hanoi), Tan Son Nhat International Airport (Ho Chi Minh City)

  Year Founded:

  1956

  Alliance:

  SkyTeam

  CEO:

  Lê Hồng Hà

  Country:

  Vietnam