VIETNAM: THREE DRUG TRAFFICKERS SENTENCED TO DEATH

September 25, 2013: The Ho Chi Minh City City People's Court sentenced three members of a drug trafficking ring to death.
Following a three-day trial, Nguyen Van Binh, 43, from Ba Ria-Vung Tau Province, Le Hoang Hoi, 59, from An Giang province and Tran Dinh Tam, 42, from HCM City were given the death penalty.
Other members of the ring Nguyen Tan Duy, 41, from Quang Nam province, Nguyen Thi Ngoc Nga, 36, from Ca Mau province, Truong Quoc Thang, 38, from HCM City, and Duong Ngoc Canh, 28, from Dong Nai province received life imprisonment, while eight more were sentenced to between three and 30 years behind bars.
According to the indictment, the accused formed a trans-national drug trafficking ring, and some members also smuggled weapons into Viet Nam from Cambodia.
Members of the ring were arrested by HCM City police between July 2007 and August 2008.  (Sources: VNS, 26/09/2013)