Vietnam hands death penalties to three drug traffickers

Vietnam has some of the toughest drug laws in the world with courts routinely handing out death sentences for drug convictions.

After the one-day trial in Long An province, 35-year-old gang leader Pham Trung Hieu and his three accomplices were found guilty of trafficking.

Three were given the death penalty while one was jailed for life, VnExpress news site reported.

The three men and women had trafficked the drugs from Cambodia to distribute to retailers in Ho Chi Minh City and neighbouring provinces.

The ring was discovered transporting some of the drugs in April 2023. Trying to escape a police raid, their car hit a police official and two local residents.

Under Vietnamese law, anyone caught with more than 600 grams (21 ounces) of heroin or more than 2.5 kilos of methamphetamine can face the death penalty.

Late last year, a Vietnamese court sentenced 27 people to death for trafficking 626 kilos (1,380 pounds) of drugs from Cambodia into Vietnam.

Vietnam is close to the "Golden Triangle" drug-producing region where Laos, Thailand and Myanmar meet, with Vietnamese police saying Ho Chi Minh City is increasingly becoming a hub for traffickers as transport infrastructure has improved in recent years.