Authorities in the north-central Vietnamese province of Ha Tinh confirmed on Saturday they had apprehended four people involved in the smuggling of 120 bricks of heroin from Laos into Vietnam.

Officers from the provincial Department of Police, Border Guard Office, and customs department previously formed a specialized team to deal with the crime.

According to the case file, the team of officers spotted an automobile, whose plate number was 29A-096.29, showing suspicious signs as it was traveling from Laos to Vietnam via the Cau Treo Border Gate on January 23.

Results of an inspection showed that the car was carrying a total of 120 bricks of heroin, of which 34 were hidden inside the shock absorbers in the rear of the vehicle, 31 kept inside an exhaust pipe under the automobile, and the other 55 stashed under passenger seats.

The driver was identified as Nguyen Van Anh, 28, who resides in the north-central province of Nghe An.

At the police station, Anh claimed he had been hired by a man named Nguyen Quoc Trung to drive the car from the Lao capital of Vientiane to Vietnam.

Anh added he was told to contact Trung 15 minutes after passing the Cau Treo Border Gate.

Officers later expanded their investigation and captured Trung, who is a 38-year-old Ha Tinh resident, along with his two accessories, Nguyen Duy Que, 31, and Le Thanh Tap, 28.

All of the four suspects have been charged for drug smuggling under Article 251 of the Penal Code.

Further investigation is ongoing.

In Vietnam, people who smuggle heroin weighing 100 grams and over face 20 years to life in prison, or even the death penalty.

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