Da Nang police officers have caught red-handed two trucks carrying 223 metal cylinders of over 12 kg containing nitrous oxide (N2O), known as laughing gas, without papers and invoices that prove their origin.

Previously, at 6:00 p.m. on Sunday, through a surprise patrol along Nguyen Binh Street, officers from the Hoa Minh Ward Police, Lien Chieu District, pulled over the two aforementioned cargo delivery trucks for administrative checks and discovered a large number of metal cylinders, all of which contain laughing gas, onboard. One carried 42 metal cylinders whilst the other transported the remaining 181 ones.

Through the initial investigations, one of the drivers who was from Tien Du District, the northern province of Bac Ninh admitted that these laughing gas containing cylinders were transported from the capital city of Ha Noi into Da Nang for supply to entertainment venues such as discos, bars and karaoke across this central city.

According to scientists, nitrous oxide creates an instant refreshing feeling, dizziness and blocks the nervous system, reducing the ability to think, distorting sound and even causing visual hallucinations.

A person exposed to nitrous oxide in a closed room or inhaling it directly would suffer from a lack of oxygen in their bloodstream. For a normal person, inhaling the laughing gas regularly could affect their nervous system.

The case is still under investigation.

Reporting by L.H - Translating by A. THU