4 get death in HCMC for drug trafficking
By Hai Duyen September 28, 2023 | 05:10 pm PT

HCMC, VIETNAM - Vu Trong Nghia, 28, and his lover Tran Thi Trang, 31, the masterminds, were sentenced to death by the HCMC People’s Court for the illegal trading of narcotic substances and the illegal storage of military weapons.

Their accomplices, Pham Van Son and Nguyen Van Vui, were also sentenced to death, while three others received jail sentences from eight years to life for the same charges.

Prosecutors said the actual amount of drugs trafficked by the convicts is actually much greater.

In October 2018, Nghia moved from the northern city of Hai Phong to HCMC. He later got acquainted with Trang, and the two lived together. When Nghia learned that Trang was dealing drugs, they discussed to purchase a large amount from Cambodia to resell in Vietnam.

In November 2018, Nghia went to Cambodia to make contact with a person named A Chia to buy drugs. From January 2019 to March 2019, Nghia bought 12 kg of drugs, including ketamine and ecstasy pills, from A Chia, then gave them to Trang and other accomplices to sell them.

In later deals, Nghia hired Son and Vui to come to Cambodia to bring back the drugs. Nghia also bought Son and Vui a gun and 11 bullets for self-defense.

Prosecutors said Son had transported drugs from Cambodia to Vietnam four times and was paid VND100 million ($4,098). Vui did so five times and was paid VND115 million.

On March 22, 2019, a team of HCMC police inspected a car at an intersection in District 5, discovering that Nghia and Son were storing a gun and a small amount of drugs in the car. A further investigation exposed Nghia and Trang's drug trafficking ring.
https://e.vnexpress.net/news/news/hcmc- ... 58644.html

The regularity of reports about drug dealers being executed in Vietnam tends to support the idea that death sentences are not a deterrent, like in Saudi where there are always plenty of people lining up for the chop. The best you can say is that at least it takes them off the street on a permanent basis and saves the country the cost of ongoing imprisonment. Come to think of it, that might solve the current overcrowding problems in UK prisons. Rishi and Suella, take note.

People who sell tuk'kak deserve to be treated the same way child rapists, scam enslavers, and anyone else who ruins lives deserves to be treated. I understand they are poor and desperate but everyone here in Southeast Asia knows the law so feigning ignorance simply won't cut it. Pray for their souls, but then recognise the harm they would have done to others have they succeeded.