A South Korean court has ruled that two flight attendants from a Vietnamese airline who were arrested in Incheon City in early September for allegedly smuggling over US$230,000 worth of synthetic marijuana are innocent at a first-instance trial, an official from the Vietnamese Ministry of Public Security said on Friday.

The two flight attendants have not been allowed to return to Vietnam, said Lieutenant General Nguyen Van Vien, head of the Investigation Police Department on Drug-related Crimes under the Ministry of Public Security.

In light of the case, the department has begun working with domestic air carriers to prevent their employees from being abused by drug criminals, Vien noted.

On September 6 this year, police in South Korea’s Incheon City detained the two female flight attendants among the four members of a Vietnamese airline’s crew.

The two flight attendants, both aged 20, were suspected to have hidden liquid synthetic marijuana inside cosmetic boxes in their baggage in order to transport them from Vietnam to Incheon International Airport in April.

The Incheon police’s investigation showed that the suspects were paid 68,000-150,000 won ($52-115) for carrying the cosmetic boxes and were unaware of what was inside them. 

Following the incident, a customs officer at Incheon International Airport told MBC News that they will strengthen baggage inspections for flight attendants from Vietnamese airlines.

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