Ho Chi Minh City People's Procuracy on Wednesday proposed the death sentence for a transnational drug trafficking group which smuggled 37 kilogrammes of heroin and methamphetamines over the border from Cambodia.

The defendants at the trial

The death sentences were proposed after a three-day trial to Nguyen Van Phu (born 1964), Tran Thanh Cuong (born 1981), Dang Hoang Lam (born 1985), Nguyen Tuan Kiet (born 1973), Do Thai Dung (born 1991), Vo Xuan Tu (born 1959) and Tang Thi Loi (born 1969).

Three other defendants were given life sentences, with the remaining defendants sentenced from five-20 years in jail. 

In November 2015, Tran Thanh Cuong was arrested while transporting 5.2 kilos of methamphetamine from Cambodia to Vietnam. Police in HCM City and the border province of Tay Ninh seized the drugs together with USD 5,000 and VND50 million in cash. 

From Cuong's statements, police also arrested Phan Van Quoc, Nguyen Van Phu, and Dang Hoang Lam.

The gang bought heroin from Cambodia and sold it in Vietnam.

Phu said during interrogation that he had bought about 50 drug packs weighing about 380g to 400g each, worth USD9,700 each, from dealers in Cambodia. Then he sold them to Cuong for distribution in the southern provinces.

Phu also traded in drugs with some others from the north.

According to a report from the Ho Chi Minh City People's Procuracy, the gang had traded in over 20 kilos of heroin and over 17 kilograms of methamphetamines between March 2014 and January 2016.

Dtinews