The People’s Court in Dong Nai Province, southern Vietnam on Thursday sentenced four people to death for illicitly transporting and trading 45 kilograms of drugs.

The death penalty was handed down to Vo Anh Dat, 42, Dang Xuan Anh, 49, Nguyen Hoa Hiep, 36, and Hoang Trung Hau, 35.

They were convicted of the illegal transportation, trading, and possession of narcotics.

The fifth defendant, 32-year-old Truong Tan Dat, received a two-year prison term for the illegal possession of narcotics.

The indictment showed that Vo Anh Dat visited an area near Cau Treo Border Gate in north-central Ha Tinh Province in September 2021 to buy VND5 billion (US$214,800) worth of drugs from a Laotian man.

The narcotics, which included 40 kilograms of crystal meth and five kilograms of ketamine, were expected to be sold to Bui Thien Nhan in Ho Chi Minh City for VND11.3 billion ($485,500), according to Dat and Nhan’s deal.

On September 29, Dat brought the drugs to Dong Nai Province and gave them to Anh, Hiep, and Hau, who were hired by Nhan to transport them to Ho Chi Minh City.

Nhan promised to pay them VND100 million ($4,300) when the job was finished.

Hau was on his way to transport the narcotics on September 30 when he was caught by police officers in Dong Nai Province.

Anh, Hiep, and Dat were later arrested.

Meanwhile, Nhan was apprehended and investigated by police in Ho Chi Minh City for another drug-related crime.

During their investigation, police in Dong Nai also discovered that Hiep had bought drugs from Anh on multiple occasions to use for himself and sell to other drug addicts.

Truong Tan Dat was identified as Hiep’s most frequent buyer, having purchased narcotics from the man at least 16 times.

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