Vietnamese police are officially launching legal action against Trinh Nguyen Thuy and 32 of his associates on charges of trafficking and producing heroin, according to papers there.

According to the police investigation, the gang was responsible for bringing in about 200kg of heroin and almost 700 kg of opium from Laos to Vietnam between 2001 and 2003.

Thuy has also admitted to bribing officials so that he could be allowed to grow opium poppies on farms close to Hanoi city.

If true, these actions would make Thuy’s gang one of the largest in Vietnam, a country that has very strict laws against the drug trade with the death penalty often enforced.

Perhaps more interesting is the fact that Thuy seems willing to name names in the government. This will have dire repercussions for the officials involved, but it will also serve to reinforce the government’s strict attitude towards drugs.

At this time, there are several international traffickers on death row in Vietnam.

By adding locals and even government officials to that mix, Vietnam will send a very unambiguous message to both domestic drug traders and potential international traffickers.