HO CHI MINH CITY, July 25 (Xinhua) -- In an imported steel scrap container at Cai Mep port in Vietnam's southern Ba Ria Vung Tau province, local customs officers detected 100 cakes of heroin weighing around 35 kg, the provincial authorities said Wednesday.

The container, arriving Tuesday, is among 17 containers imported by a Vietnamese steel firm to manufacture steel, and the other 16 containers have hidden no drugs. All the 17 containers were transported by a Liberia-flagged cargo ship.

The provincial police are investigating the heroin's source and its final destination.

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.