Vietnam detects marijuana garden near capital

Vietnam has uncovered a 800-square meter marijuana garden in the country's northern Hung Yen province, 60 kilometers east of Hanoi capital city, local newspaper Young People reported Friday.

Local police detected the garden when they were investigating a marijuana trafficking case, in which two local men named Nguyen Van Duong and Nguyen Van Tho were arrested, and 1.7 kg of marijuana were seized.

The garden is owned by Tho's parent-in-law, said the report.

Many bordering provinces in Vietnam's northern and central regions are illegally growing more opium poppies for profit, according to the High Command of Border Guard. Nearly 27 hectares of poppies have been illegally grown in the four provinces of Dien Bien, Son La, Thanh Hoa and Nghe An so far this year, trebling the acreage in the localities in the same period last year.

The number of drug addicts in Vietnam surged 56.8 percent to 158,428 in 2005 from 101,036 in 2000, a recent national conference was told. It has targeted to become a drug-free country by 2015.

Source: Xinhua