HO CHI MINH CITY, July 24 (Xinhua) -- Vietnamese police on Sunday detained a 37-year-old Australian woman of Vietnamese origin for transporting 5 kg of heroin when she was boarding a flight at an international airport in Ho Chi Minh City.
When checking the woman's suitcase at the Tan Son Nhat International Airport, local customs officers found 14 cakes of heroin weighing 5 kg hidden in personal belongings, said the Tan Son Nhat Border Customs.
The woman confessed she was about to bring the drug to Australia for a transport fee of 25,000 U.S. dollars.
The airport's customs have detected nearly 15 kg of lab-made drugs since June.
According to Vietnamese law, those convicted of smuggling over 600 grams of heroin or more than 2.5 kilograms of methamphetamine are punishable by death. Making or trading 100 grams of heroin or 300 grams of other illegal drugs also faces death penalty.
