Hanoi police seizes more than 15,000 cigars which were allegedly smuggled from Europe. VNA/VNS Photo

According to Hanoi Economic Police Division, the cigars in question were owned by local man Do Duc Phong and hidden in three separate locations across the city.

Phong admitted that he bought the cigars in a few European countries and hired flight attendants to bring them back to Vietnam.

He then advertised and sold the tobacco online via Facebook or Zalo, a popular local messaging app.

The man was arrested, and the police are expanding their investigation into the smuggling ring.

Also on Sunday, Dau Tieng District police in the southern province of Bình Dương said that they have seized 15,300 packs of foreign-branded cigarettes being smuggled into Vietnam.

Pham Van Huong, 52, was stopped at around 2am by officers, who later found 7,800 packs of Jet and Hero cigarettes in his car.

The police on the same day detained another two men, Vo Huu Manh, 59, and Nguyen Chi Thuan, 38, who were delivering 7,500 packs of 555, Cost, Hero and Jet cigarettes in their car.

All suspects failed to show receipts or documents proving the origin of the tobacco.

They admitted to having bought the cigarettes in question in Cambodia and planned to sell them in Vietnam. — VNS

Biggest cigarettes smuggling ring in Gia Lai discovered

The biggest cigarettes trafficking ring so far in the Central Highlands province of Gia Lai had been destroyed, provincial police said on Wednesday.