Police in HCMC’s Tan Binh District on January 15 said in a statement that they had launched an investigation into suspected perfume smuggling by a 35-year-old captain of Vietnam Airlines. 

He was caught handing over 120 branded perfumes, such as Bleu De Channel Paris, Allure Home Sport and Channel Chance, without invoices and three mobile phones to a man at Tan Son Nhat International Airport on January 11, the local media reported.

Vietnam Airlines aircraft are parked at Tan Son Nhat International Airport 

The captain was identified as Bui Q. Th., residing in Hai Duong Province, and the male recipient, Nguyen V. D., 59, is a resident of the city’s Go Vap District. They were taken to the police station for questioning.

Th. told the police that he bought the perfumes from a duty-free zone in France-based Paris Charles de Gaulle International Airport for over 3,000 euros (equivalent to US$3,419). He carried the perfume to Hanoi on flight VN119, for which he was the captain. After that, he traveled on flight VN225, departing from Hanoi to HCMC, functioning as a member of the flight crew.

Th. had asked D. to meet him on the night of January 11 at the HCMC-based airport’s dosmetic passenger terminal and was arrested there by the airport police. The perfumes and phones were also seized.

The airport police have transferred the case to the Tan Binh District police for further investigation.

SGT