Vietnam: 11 Sentenced to Death in Major Drug Trafficking Case

In Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam, a major drug trafficking case known as "VN10" has concluded with 11 individuals sentenced to death. A total of 227 people were prosecuted in the trial, with 11 receiving the death penalty and 19 sentenced to life imprisonment. Among those handed the death sentence are individuals deeply involved in the smuggling and transportation of narcotics, including Ha Danh Nam, believed to be a ringleader. The 19 individuals sentenced to life imprisonment were implicated in activities such as drug transportation, trafficking, and organizing drug use. The case is considered exceptionally serious, with allegations of a diverse supply chain of drugs from Europe and Cambodia being distributed within Vietnam. The network is believed to have been structured in multiple layers to conceal the identities of its leaders. The total value of transactions is estimated to be nearly 29 trillion Vietnamese Dong (approximately $1.2 billion USD). Authorities have expanded their investigation, with over 2,700 people indicted in 477 related cases. This trial takes place amidst the implementation of Resolution 02 by the Ho Chi Minh City Party Committee, which aims to make the city drug-free by 2030. The investigation began on March 16, 2023, when customs officials at Tan Son Nhat International Airport discovered over 10 kilograms of Ketamine and MDMA disguised in 157 tubes of toothpaste among the luggage of four female flight attendants arriving from France. Ho Chi Minh City police subsequently filed the case and established the special investigation unit "VN10." Investigators identified Ha Danh Nam, also known as "Hu Son," as having exploited cargo consolidation and express delivery services to successfully transport six shipments of drugs through Noi Bai International Airport in Hanoi before the seventh shipment was intercepted. All shipments were consolidated at a hub managed by Hoang Si Thang in Dong Nai province for distribution to consumers in Ho Chi Minh City and Binh Duong province. Regarding the four female flight attendants, investigators determined they were merely paid to transport the goods and had no knowledge of the hidden drugs, nor any communication or transactions with the network's members. As there was insufficient evidence for criminal prosecution, all four were released. Information Source: BBC Vietnamese