(VOVworld) – Vietnam has been affected by drug smuggling as it is located in a region home to the world’s major drug centers. Phan Van Vinh, Head of the General Department of Anti-Crime Police under the Ministry of Public Security made the statement at an international conference on drug prevention in the Far East Regional Working Group, which opened in Da Nang city on Wednesday. He said this year Vietnam detected nearly 20,000 cases of drug-related crimes, arrested 30,000 suspects and confiscated 390kg of heroin and dozens of kg of synthetic drugs: “The Vietnamese Government and the Ministry of Public Security create favorable conditions for the police and anti-drug police in particular to learn experiences in combating drug crimes from other countries, including those from the Far East. I hope that this time, representatives from 18 member countries will uphold what we have achieved over the recent past.”

The two-day event has attracted 19 members including Vietnam, Australia, Brunei, Darusalam, Cambodia, Hong Kong, Macau, Indonesia, Japan, Laos, Malaysia, Mongolia, Myanmar, New Zealand, the Philippines, the Republic of Korea, Singapore, Timor Leste and Thailand.  Participants reviewed the results of drug prevention activities in the Far East region since April 2012, approved members’ reports on the fight against drug crime, proposed solutions to improve the efficiency of drug prevention activities in the Far East Regional Working Group.