11 people sentenced to death in Vietnam drug case
The People’s Court of Ho Chi Minh City sentenced 11 defendants to death in a large-scale drug trafficking case involving a total of 227 defendants. At least 20 more individuals received life imprisonment, The Jerusalem Post reports, citing Vietnamese outlet VnExpress.
Drugs in toothpaste tubes
The investigation began after more than 10 kilograms of drugs hidden in 157 toothpaste tubes were discovered at Tan Son Nhat Airport in Ho Chi Minh City in March 2023.
The cargo was transported by four Vietnam Airlines flight attendants who arrived from Paris. Authorities later determined that the women did not know about the contents of the shipment.
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Transnational network
Investigators subsequently uncovered a network that prosecutors described as transnational. According to them, its members smuggled drugs from France into Vietnam, disguising them as consumer goods.
Prosecutors also said that members of the network used encrypted messengers, bank accounts registered in other people’s names, and delivery services to distribute drugs in southern Vietnam.
Changes to the death penalty
The sentences were handed down amid discussions in Vietnam about changes to the application of the death penalty. Last month, the government proposed abolishing it for six crimes, including drug trafficking, as part of a revision of the criminal code. These changes have not yet taken effect.
