HANOI, March 4 (Xinhua) -- Police of Vietnam's northern Son La province detained two Lao citizens on Monday when they were transporting 12,000 pills of crystal methamphetamine from Laos to the Vietnamese locality.

The duo, a 31-year-old man and a 45-year-old woman, were caught red-handed transporting the drug across the border via a trail, Vietnam News Agency reported on Monday.

According to Vietnamese law, those convicted of smuggling over 600 grams of heroin or more than 2.5 kg of methamphetamine are punishable by death. Making or trading 100 grams of heroin or 300 grams of other illegal drugs also faces death penalty.