Vietnam busts largest-ever synthetic drug lab in transnational operation

The Drug Crime Investigation Department (C04), under the Ministry of Public Security, coordinated with provincial police, customs, and anti-smuggling units to disrupt a transnational drug network operating in Khanh Hoa Province.

The investigation began in August 2024 when Chinese authorities alerted Vietnam about two individuals involved in illegal drug production who had entered the country, along with suspicious shipments of laboratory glassware.

After months of surveillance, C04 identified Zhang Chunming, a 51-year-old Taiwanese national, as the ringleader. Zhang had established a 1,000-square-metre drug production facility in Nha Trang City, disguising it as a fish farming business. He recruited Vietnamese and Chinese nationals to construct and equip the facility with high-tech production lines.

By late January 2025, the workshop had produced 1.8 tonnes of yellow powder, packed into 27 styrofoam containers and stored in a cold storage warehouse in Nha Trang. Zhang then brought in additional personnel to refine the substance into high-purity ketamine using industrial-scale processes.

On March 22, nearly 200 officers launched a massive raid, arresting 16 suspects, including seven from China and Taiwan (China). Authorities seized 1.4 tonnes of ketamine and nearly 80 tonnes of chemicals, preventing the drugs from reaching the market.

Lieutenant General Nguyen Van Vien, head of C04, described the facility as an "exceptionally large-scale synthetic drug factory equipped with modern production lines and advanced technology." He confirmed it was the largest and most sophisticated lab ever uncovered in Vietnam.

The operation produced some of the highest-purity drugs, handled by highly skilled operators, Vien explained.

Authorities have vowed to continue tightening security and intensifying efforts to combat drug-related crimes.