1 Vietnam police officer, 2 drug traffickers die in fire exchange

The clash also injured three other police officers and three drug transporters. 

The violent gunfire occurred in Van Ho Commune at about 4:00 am after anti-drug police discovered the penetration of two groups of transnational drug traffickers from Laos, said Colonel Phung The Trien, deputy director of the Son La Police Department.

The two groups consisted of 25 drug traffickers in total, who were armed with at least 22 guns including AK assault rifles, carbines, and handguns, Colonel Trien said.

Police mobilized more than 60 officers to surround the illegal drug transporters, preventing them from escaping.

They then fired signal flares and used loudspeakers to call on them to surrender, but the drug traffickers replied with bursts of gunfire.

Given aggressive responses from the traffickers, police had to fight back but with a view to wounding them only, Colonel Trien said.

Police also used explosive devices and teargas guns in the faceoff, he added.

Meanwhile, the drug transporters continuously opened fire on police to open a way to escape. They also fired a series of shots at a group of six police dogs, killing one of the animals at once.

After an hour of gunfire exchanges, police shot wounded five drug traffickers, while Senior Lieutenant Luong Phat Chiem was hit by a bullet in one of his eyes and three other officers were also injured.

The remaining drug traffickers then managed to retreat to Laos, leaving six backpackers, many guns and cartridge belts at the scene. 

The four wounded officers were taken to hospital for emergency aid but Chiem died on the way, Colonel Trien said.

Two of the three injured officers included Mai Hoang, deputy chief of the Van Ho District Police, and Sub-Lieutenant Le Manh Ha, from the province’s anti-drug crime police department.

Police also took the five wounded drug transporters to hospital but two of them died on the way due to hemorrhage.

On searching the backpackers left by the drug traffickers, police found and seized 108 bricks of heroin, weighing about 37.8 kilograms.

This has been the second clash between local police and such transnational drug traffickers since last month, Colonel Trien said.

In honor of the sacrifice of Senior Lieutenant Chiem, the deceased officer has been posthumously promoted to Captain, Senior Lieutenant General Le Quy Vuong, Deputy Minister of Public Security told Tuoi Tre(Youth) newspaper on Saturday evening.