Vietnam, Laos strengthen drug prevention and control cooperation

Deputy Minister of Public Security of Vietnam Senior Lieutenant General Nguyen Van Long and Deputy Minister of Public Security and Director General of the General Department of Police of Laos Lieutenant General Kongsavath Bounliang attended and delivered keynote speeches at the meeting.

Director of the Counter Narcotics Police Department Major General Ngo Thanh Binh and Deputy Director General of the General Department of Police of Laos Major General Saly Phoutthavong co-chaired the meeting.

In his opening remarks, Major General Ngo Thanh Binh underlined that, amid increasingly complicated regional and global developments, transnational criminal organizations, particularly drug trafficking networks, are expanding their operations and exploiting loopholes in management mechanisms to commit crimes.

In the context of integration and globalization, drug-related crime in both Vietnam and Laos continues to evolve in a complex manner, requiring close and effective cooperation between the competent authorities of the two countries, he added.

The meeting aimed to review the performance of joint working groups since their establishment, evaluate their cooperation results, identify difficulties and challenges, and propose measures to further enhance the effectiveness of bilateral cooperation in drug prevention and control in the coming period.

For his part, Major General Saly Phoutthavong highly appreciated the cooperation results achieved between the police forces of Vietnam and Laos in drug prevention and control.

He noted that the counter-narcotics police forces of the two countries had effectively coordinated in exchanging information, verifying suspects, jointly investigating major drug cases and arresting wanted fugitives, thereby contributing to ensuring security and order in each country while further strengthening the special friendship between Vietnam and Laos.

Addressing the meeting, Deputy Minister Nguyen Van Long affirmed that, as drug crime becomes increasingly sophisticated, organized and transnational in nature, the police forces of the two countries should continue to uphold their special solidarity and strengthen comprehensive cooperation in combating drug-related crime.

He called on the competent agencies of both countries to effectively implement the 2026 Cooperation Plan and signed coordination regulations, maintain mechanisms for rapid, accurate, timely and secure information exchange, and strengthen the establishment and implementation of joint investigation so as to dismantle major drug trafficking networks, arresting kingpins, dangerous wanted fugitives and transnational criminal organizations.

In addition, the functional forces of the two countries should enhance cooperation in investigating and tracing illicit financial flows, combating money laundering activities and addressing the abuse of high technology and cyberspace for drug-related crimes.

They should also effectively implement the regional high-profile campaign on coordinated attacks and suppression of drug crime.

Deputy Minister Nguyen Van Long stressed that the Ministry of Public Security of Vietnam always considers drug prevention and control a key, regular and long-term task, while attaching great importance to and wishing to further strengthen cooperation with the Ministry of Public Security of Laos on the basis of special solidarity, mutual trust and shared responsibility.