A central Nghe An province court has sentenced two leaders of a transnational drug ring that smuggled over 72 kg of drugs to death, while giving life sentences to three of their accomplices at their hearing opened on Wednesday.

>> Thai woman sentenced to death for drug trafficking>> Nigerian gets death for drug trafficking in Vietnam>> Death penalty upheld for Vietnamese carrying 6kg of heroin The provincial People’s Court yesterday gave death penalties to Nguyen Trong Tuan, 42, and Xong No Cha, 34, for “illegally trading and transporting drugs.” Both men are local residents. Of their six accomplices, three got life sentences for “illegally transporting drugs.” They are Tran Van Tu, 31, of Nghe An; Nhua Xong, 24, from Laos; and Pham Thi Lieu, 39, of Bac Ninh Province.  Meanwhile, a 20-year-sentence was given to Bui Ngoc Tinh, 35, of Nghe An, for the same charge.

Two light sentences were given to the remaining two defendants, with 15-month sentences for Tran Van Luu, 25, of Thanh Hoa province, and Thai Thi Huong, 29, of Nghe An. The two defendants were charged with “not reporting criminals.”  According to the indictment, from October 2012 to December 28, 2012, Tuan, Cha and their ring smuggled 208 heroine cakes, weighing 72.86 kg, and 321 synthetic drug tablets from Laos to Vietnam. They then organized the selling of the drugs to China and other countries.  A death sentence related to drug trafficking was also given a local man, Mua Ba Tu, 28, by the provincial People’s Court on August 22.  Tu was seized on July 18 last year while transporting six kilograms of heroin and 12,000 ecstasy pills from Laos to Nghe An. Another death penalty was given nine days ago by the Ho Chi Minh City People’s Court to a 31-year-old Thai woman, Chaimongkol Suracha, who was caught trafficking nearly 2 kg of drugs from Brazil to Vietnam. The woman was arrested on October 1, 2012 at Tan Son Nhat International Airport after customs officers caught her hiding four bags of cocaine in two albums packed in her luggage.

Under Vietnam’s Penal Code, those who are convicted of smuggling more than 2.5 kilograms of methamphetamine will be given a death sentence.

The capital penalty is also applied for those who are indicted for producing or selling 100 grams of heroin or 300 grams of other illegal narcotics.