Police have arrested 65 people for smuggling 50kg of cocaine into Vietnam, some of which were hidden in toothpaste tubes.

It follows the arrests last month of four Vietnam Airlines cabin crew members who were discovered with the tubes in carry-on bags after a flight from Paris to Ho Chi Minh City.

They claimed they had been contracted to transport 60kg of toothpaste but had no idea it contained ecstasy, ketamine, and cocaine.

Despite having some of the strictest drug regulations in the world, Vietnam is a significant drug-trafficking hub.

Approximately half of the 327 toothpaste tubes carried by the flight attendants contained drugs. The women, who are currently out on bond, were said to be oblivious of their contents, according to investigators.

The 65 individuals were nabbed this week after police discovered another six shipments of narcotics being trafficked into Vietnam via the same method.

The same smuggling gang that employed the flight attendants is said to have guided them.

According to local media, the 65 suspects are being investigated for a variety of offenses, including buying, selling, transporting, and storing narcotics.

The same organization, according to police, frequently utilizes Vietnamese nationals studying and residing in France to bring drugs into the country.

Domestic delivery firms transfer the drugs from Vietnamese airports to an accomplice in Dong Nai province, which borders Saigon.

The narcotics are subsequently delivered to a variety of locations for distribution.

According to authorities, the amount of drugs confiscated via aviation routes into the country in the last three months has topped the amount of drugs smuggled via air routes in the previous five years combined.

Because of its proximity to Cambodia, Ho Chi Minh City is an especially appealing transit site for smugglers.