JavaScript is off. Please enable to view full site.

Spanish model, Vietnamese singer, social media influencer arrested for drug charges in $1.1bn network

Spanish model, Vietnamese singer, social media influencer arrested for drug charges in $1.1bn network

Thursday, November 14, 2024, 15:08 GMT+7
Spanish model, Vietnamese singer, social media influencer arrested for drug charges in $1.1bn network
Singer Chi Dan is pictured at a police station in Ho Chi Minh City. Photo: Supplied

Police in Ho Chi Minh City have apprehended Spanish model and actress Andrea Aybar, Vietnamese singer Chi Dan, and philanthropic influencer Truc Phuong for on suspicion of organizing drug use, as part of a haul that officers said was worth US$1.1 billion.

An officer said on Thursday that the municipal Department of Public Security had arrested and charged singer Chi Dan, whose real name is Nguyen Trung Hieu, the 29-year-old model, also known by her Vietnamese name as Nguyen Thi An, and Nguyen Do Truc Phuong, a social media influencer, for their alleged drug use organization.

This was the result of an expanded probe into a cross-border network to traffic in narcotics from France into Vietnam through airports. The investigation was launched in March 2023.

Related to the trafficking network, police have busted some 500 drug trading and transporting rings in several localities nationwide, charged over 1,132 individuals, and seized 323.5 kilograms of illicit drugs, 12 guns, and three grenades.

The suspects carried out transactions worth VND28 trillion ($1.1 billion), police said, citing preliminary estimates.

Among these detainees are some celebrities such as singer Chi Dan, model Aybar, and influencer Truc Phuong, according to the police officer.

Spanish model and actress Andrea Aybar. Photo: Supplied

Spanish model and actress Andrea Aybar. Photo: Supplied

An image of Chi Dan, known for pop ballad songs, holding a drug test kit has gone viral on social media since Saturday last week. He tested positive for drugs.

Having lived in Vietnam since childhood, Aybar is fluent in Spanish, English, and Vietnamese.

After working as a model in Vietnam from 2012 to 2014 and appearing in some films, Aybar has been mostly absent from the entertainment world in recent years

Truc Phuong, a 30-year-old resident of District 1, is well known on Facebook for her engagement in several charity activities. 

She often gives a helping hand to disadvantaged people in Ho Chi Minh City and neighboring provinces.

Nguyen Do Truc Phuong at a police station in Ho Chi Minh City. Photo: Supplied

Nguyen Do Truc Phuong at a police station in Ho Chi Minh City. Photo: Supplied

As prescribed by the amended 2015 Penal Code of Vietnam, those committing drug trafficking shall face a sentence of two to 20 years, life imprisonment or even the death penalty, depending on drug volumes.

Those caught transporting 100 grams or more of heroin, cocaine, methamphetamine, amphetamine, MDMA, or 300 grams of other solid narcotics face penalties ranging from 20 years in jail to life imprisonment or even capital punishment.

Like us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter to get the latest news about Vietnam!

Tieu Bac - Dan Thuan / Tuoi Tre News

More

Read more

;

VIDEOS

‘Taste of Australia’ gala dinner held in Ho Chi Minh City after 2-year hiatus

Taste of Australia Gala Reception has returned to the Park Hyatt Hotel in Ho Chi Minh City's District 1 after a two-year hiatus due to the COVID-19 pandemic

Vietnamese woman gives unconditional love to hundreds of adopted children

Despite her own immense hardship, she has taken in and cared for hundreds of orphans over the past three decades.

Latest news

NASA delays crewed lunar landing to 2027

The United States is pushing back its planned return to the moon from 2026 to 'mid-2027' as it deals with heat shield issues and other troubles plaguing its Orion crew capsule, NASA officials said Thursday