A court in Vietnam on Tuesday sentenced five former players of a local football club to at least four years in prison each for organizing illegal drug use.

The People’s Court of Ha Tinh City in Ha Tinh Province, north-central Vietnam handed down a 4.5-year jail term on Dinh Thanh Trung, 32, and Duong Quang Tuan, 28.

Nguyen Trung Hoc, 26, Nguyen Ngoc Thang, 22, and Nguyen Van Truong, 21, were both sentenced to four years behind bars.

They once played for Hong Linh Ha Tinh Football Club.

The five were caught using drugs with four women during a police raid at a hotel in Ha Tinh on May 4, according to the indictment.

Authorities seized nearly two grams of ketamine, over 0.6 grams of MDMA (ecstasy), and 510 milliliters of a mixture containing meth, MDMA, ketamine, and nimetazepam.

Dinh Thanh Trung, a former member of the Vietnamese national team and winner of the 2017 Vietnam Golden Ball, was identified as the mastermind behind the illegal activity.

Trung initiated the drug use, informed the others of the venue, and directly handled the transactions with drug sellers.

Other players, including Nguyen Ngoc Thang, who joined the U23 Vietnam team in the quarterfinals of the AFC U23 Asian Cup in Qatar in April 2024, and Nguyen Trung Hoc, captain of Hong Linh Ha Tinh, were involved in various roles, such as preparing the drugs and soft drinks used in the session.

The group also facilitated drug use for others, including a 17-year-old girl.

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