Police in Ho Chi Minh City have arrested a foreign man and a Vietnamese woman for trying to smuggle 4.5 kilograms of banned stimulant ephedrine into New Zealand. The duo allegedly hid the drugs inside 20 motorbike tires and had them delivered to the country by a logistics company early this month. Officers at the Ministry of Public Security checked the shipment on July 4 and found the large amount of ephedrine, which can be used to make illicit drugs, notably methamphetamine. Those convicted of possessing or smuggling more than 600 grams of heroin or more than 2.5 kilograms of methamphetamine face the death penalty. Police later tracked down the two senders of the shipment.

Source: Thanhnien News July 12, 2016 04:18 UTC