Vietnam arrests Australian for alleged heroin trafficking

HANOI, Vietnam – An Australian woman has been arrested in Vietnam for allegedly trafficking heroin, state media reported.

The Thanh Nien newspaper said the 37-year old woman of Vietnamese origin was detained Sunday at Tan Son Nhat airport in the southern hub of Ho Chi Minh City after authorities found nearly 5 kilograms (11 pounds) of heroin hidden in her luggage.

The newspaper reported Monday that the woman told officials she was to be paid $25,000 to transport the heroin to Australia.

Other details were not immediately available.

Last month, an Australian woman was sentenced to death for trying to smuggle heroin from Vietnam to Australia.

Vietnam has some of the world’s toughest drug laws, where trafficking even small amounts of heroin is punishable by death.

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