Vietnamese party drug peddler nabbed

Operatives from the National Bureau of Investigation-Dangerous Drugs Division (NBI-DDD) apprehended a Vietnamese man on drug charges and seized millions of pesos worth of party drugs in a condominium unit in Manila’s Entertainment City.

NBI director Jaime B. Santiago identified the suspect as Van Thai Nguyen — who used several aliases. He was arrested after a 10 July buy-bust operation where he sold ecstasy and ketamine to an undercover agent.

A subsequent search of Nguyen’s condominium turned up hundreds of ecstasy tablets, several grams of ketamine, and boxes of teddy bears believed to be used to conceal the drugs for delivery.

The said bag was turned over by the driver to Senator Raffy Tulfo during the live telecast of his radio program Wanted Sa Radyo in December 2023, and later turned over to the PDEA.

“A tablet of ecstasy is worth P2,000 while ketamine is P12,000 per one gram,” Santiago said.

“Ecstasy is a popular party drug while ketamine is abused for its dissociative sensations and hallucinogenic effects, and is also used to facilitate sexual assault,” he added.

Authorities also found what appeared to be falsified documents showing Nguyen as a legal worker in the Philippines.

The NBI is coordinating with the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency to investigate further.

Nguyen faces charges of violating Section 5 of RA No. 9165 before the City Prosecutor of Paranaque City. Additional charges will be filed against him including violation of Section 11 of RA No. 9165, Falsification of Documents, and RA No. 6085 (Illegal Use of Aliases).