Vietnam police arrest men with 371 kilograms of TNT

The Vietnamese authorities detained nine men accused of trying to smuggle hundreds of kilograms of explosives over the border with Laos, news reports said Friday. Border guards in Quang Binh province, in central Vietnam ,nabbed the men Wednesday as they were transporting 371 kilograms of TNT concealed in rice sacks into Vietnam, the state-run newspaper Viet Nam News reported. The men admitted having illegally crossed the border to buy explosives in Laos, the army newspaper Quan Doi Nhan Dan said, citing border guard officials. The men are to be charged with illegally transporting, using, trading or appropriating explosive materials, which could result in three to 10 years in jail. It is noted that TNT is often used in illegal mining or fishing.