Three men have been sentenced to death for transporting and trading a large amount of crystal meth in northern Vietnam.

The People’s Court in Hanoi announced sentences for the drug trafficking ring on Wednesday afternoon, following a two-day trial.

Dao Van Khoan, 56, Luu Van Hung, 45, and Dao Van Tung, 25, were all given the death penalty for the illegal sale and transport of narcotics while a fourth defendant, 36-year-old Tran Hieu Nghia, was sentenced to life in prison for his role in the crimes.

According to the indictment, Khoan first established the operation with a man named Do Van Thuan. 

The pair put Khoan’s nephew, Tung, in charge of receiving the drugs in Lang Son Province and transporting them back to Hanoi.

At around 1:30 am on December 10, 2016, police in Hanoi caught Tung and Thuan red-handed with 15 kilograms of crystal meth hidden under the backseat of their car.

The two were held in custody throughout the investigation. Three days after being apprehended, Thuan committed suicide inside the prison.

After Tung and Thuan’s arrest, Khoan went into hiding until authorities caught him carrying eight kilograms of meth in Hanoi on February 20, 2017.

Khoan then claimed he planned to sell the drugs to Hung, a Ho Chi Minh City resident.

In Hung’s confession to police, he said he planned to sell the meth to Nghia.

Investigators linked the two cases and eventually concluded that each suspect was involved in the same operation.

Between December 2016 and February 2017, Khoan and his gang transported more than 30.7 kilograms of crystal meth, according to officers.

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