Share

Five sentenced to death for heroin smuggling in Vietnam

Hanoi - A Vietnamese drug lord who continued to run his smuggling network from prison has been sentenced to die alongside four of his lieutenants, an official said on Wednesday.

The five members of the drugs ring, led by convicted heroin dealer Phan Dinh Tuan, were given death sentences by a court in central Nghe An province on Tuesday, a court official said.

Tuan was able to oversee the heroin smuggling "thanks to a mobile phone his partner gave him after visiting him in prison", state-run Tuoi Tre newspaper reported.

The 46-year-old has a long rap sheet.

His latest conviction revolves around smuggling offences committed in 2013 when he was serving time for murder.

He was already sentenced to death for separate drug smuggling offences in 2015.

The latest sentence comes after his cartel was found guilty of smuggling 102km of heroin into Vietnam from Laos.

One woman was also given 12 months in jail for failing to report the crime, according to the official newspaper of the Nghe An provincial government.

With some of the toughest anti-drug laws in the world, communist Vietnam regularly hands out heavy penalties to drug convicts.

Anyone found guilty of possessing more than 600 grams of heroin, or more than 20 kilograms of opium can face the death penalty.

Vietnam is close to the "Golden Triangle" region covering parts of Laos, Thailand and Myanmar, the world's second largest drug producing region after Latin America.


We live in a world where facts and fiction get blurred
Who we choose to trust can have a profound impact on our lives. Join thousands of devoted South Africans who look to News24 to bring them news they can trust every day. As we celebrate 25 years, become a News24 subscriber as we strive to keep you informed, inspired and empowered.
Join News24 today
heading
description
username
Show Comments ()
Voting Booth
Do you think corruption-accused National Assembly Speaker Nosiviwe Mapisa-Nqakula will survive a motion of no confidence against her?
Please select an option Oops! Something went wrong, please try again later.
Results
No, her days are numbered
41% - 543 votes
Yes, the ANC caucus will protect her
59% - 773 votes
Vote
Rand - Dollar
18.90
+0.2%
Rand - Pound
23.84
+0.3%
Rand - Euro
20.39
+0.2%
Rand - Aus dollar
12.31
+0.3%
Rand - Yen
0.12
+0.2%
Platinum
908.05
0.0%
Palladium
1,014.94
0.0%
Gold
2,232.75
-0.0%
Silver
24.95
-0.1%
Brent Crude
87.00
+1.8%
Top 40
68,346
0.0%
All Share
74,536
0.0%
Resource 10
57,251
0.0%
Industrial 25
103,936
0.0%
Financial 15
16,502
0.0%
All JSE data delayed by at least 15 minutes Iress logo
Editorial feedback and complaints

Contact the public editor with feedback for our journalists, complaints, queries or suggestions about articles on News24.

LEARN MORE