Hanoi Bar Owner Accused of Leading 107-Kilogram Drug Trafficking Ring

More than 100 kilograms of drugs were allegedly stored in a Hanoi apartment rented for 15 million dong a month, before being divided into packages and delivered to customers by Grab drivers, motorcycle taxis and other couriers.

The Hanoi People’s Procuracy has prosecuted Vũ Quang Minh, 42, Nguyễn Hoàng Linh, 40, and Nguyễn Thị Ninh, 28, for illegally trading drugs. Prosecutors say the case involves more than 24.5 kilograms of ketamine and over 82.2 kilograms of MDMA, nearly 107 kilograms in total. The defendants are expected to go on trial in mid-September.

Investigators say Minh, the owner of F1 bar on Lê Quang Đạo Street, was the alleged ringleader. Linh allegedly helped him, while Ninh handled the drugs directly. Police discovered the operation when they checked Ninh in the basement of the R3 building at Goldmark City. She was arranging for a driver to move nine cardboard boxes from a delivery company’s vehicle.

The boxes contained 12 plastic containers filled with white crystals and 36 bottles of pink tablets. Testing identified the material as more than 24.5 kilograms of ketamine. A search of Ninh’s apartment in the same building uncovered more than 82.2 kilograms of MDMA, stored in over 100 plastic bags and numerous containers. The tablets came in various shapes and colors, including hearts, faces and pills marked “Tesla.”

According to the indictment, Ninh rented the apartment from September 2022 to hide drugs. Customers sent order details through Telegram, including the type and quantity of drugs, telephone numbers and delivery addresses. Ninh delivered nearby orders herself and used motorcycle taxis, Grab or other couriers for distant customers. Investigators also say she deposited 1.97 billion dong in cash into an account held in another person’s name before transferring the money onward as instructed.

Ninh initially said she had delivered drugs for Linh, a former security guard at F1 bar. She later told investigators that Minh directed both her and Linh. She said Minh began trafficking drugs around October 2022 after his business suffered losses, obtaining supplies from abroad for sale in Hanoi.