The provinces of Đắk Lắk and Đắk Nông have repeatedly uncovered large areas of cannabis being secretly grown among coffee fields or in remote forest areas.
Lured by Profit or Misled as “Medicinal Plants”
Taking advantage of local people’s limited knowledge and desire for quick profit, traffickers have enticed farmers to plant cannabis. Some knew it was marijuana but grew it anyway; others only realized the truth when authorities arrived to document the violation. Either way, they were aiding the illegal trade of this dangerous plant.
In one case on November 30, 2010, police in Đắk R’lấp District (Đắk Nông) discovered more than 600 nearly harvest-ready cannabis plants and over 6,000 seedlings in the fields of Vũ Văn Hải (born 1981) and Phùng Thị Thoi (born 1954) in Quảng Bình Hamlet, Nghĩa Thắng Commune. Thoi claimed she did not know the plant was cannabis—she had been told by a stranger it was a cancer-healing herb and that he would buy it at a high price once harvested.
Earlier, on August 27, 2010, police in the same district found over 1,000 cannabis plants nearly ready for harvest in the coffee gardens of Bùi Thị Sen (1958), Nguyễn Đức Bình (1955), and Trần Thị Huế (1961), all in Nhân Cơ Commune. Sen said a man in Ho Chi Minh City had given her a bag of seeds, calling them the medicinal herb “cây cao ích mẫu,” and promised to buy the crop at 150,000 VND per plant.
Some farmers even grew small amounts to feed livestock. On April 27, 2011, Buôn Ma Thuột City police (Đắk Lắk) seized dozens of cannabis plants over one meter tall in the yard of Dương Minh Thảo (born 1937), who said he planted them after someone claimed the leaves would help animals grow faster.
Organized, Large-Scale Operations
According to Đắk Lắk provincial police, cannabis cultivation has recently appeared in many districts—Krông Ana, Krông Pắk, Buôn Đôn, and Buôn Ma Thuột. Đắk Nông’s narcotics unit reports that since 2008 they have uncovered 10 cases of cannabis cultivation and trade totaling tens of hectares and seizing over 10 tons of fresh and dried cannabis.
A notable bust in Đắk Mil District dismantled a major production and distribution ring: ten suspects were arrested, and ringleader Nguyễn Văn Chương (born 1980, from Mê Linh, Vĩnh Phúc) was sentenced to 20 years in prison. Chương admitted to persuading dozens of households in Đắk Rla Commune to plant over 3 hectares of cannabis and selling more than 1 ton of dried marijuana.
Hard to Detect
Lieutenant Colonel Phạm Sơn, Deputy Chief of Đắk R’lấp District Police, explained that cannabis is difficult to detect in its early stages because many villagers cannot recognize the plant. Its appearance resembles Artemisia annua (sweet wormwood), a medicinal herb, allowing cannabis to be grown for years without notice.
Authorities warn that whether out of ignorance or for profit, those who cultivate cannabis are effectively supporting the illegal drug trade and will be held accountable.