18 Sentenced To Death In Vietnam Including Two South Koreans For Drug Trafficking (image @ Pixabay)
The Family and Juvenile Court under the Ho Chi City people’s court has awarded death sentence to 18 individuals on November 12. The accused were caught in a high-profile drug trafficking case which involved 168 kg of narcotics.
Those convicted included former South Korean policeman Kim Soon Sik, his compatriot Kang Seon Hok, Vietnamese Le Hong Vu, and a Chinese national Li Tian Guan. The death sentence was labelled as a landmark verdict as it is noted as the highest number of death sentences issued for drug conviction in the history of Ho Chi Minh City.
The accused were found guilty of illegal transport, storage, trade and procurement of the drugs. The Vietnam citizen Le Hong Vu was considered as the mastermind of the drug deal and was awarded death penalty for allegedly fabricating official seals and documents which were found as instrumental for transporting 168 kg of narcotics.
Vietnam, the communist country has some of the toughest laws in world regarding drug cases and is considered notoriously secretive about its executions. 14 other people who are involved in the case was also given death penalties after the trial.
According to state media site Cong an Nhan dan report, the group has “illegally stored, trafficked and traded more than 261 kg of drugs” between the month of May and June 2022. More than 168 kilograms (370 pounds) of “all kinds of drugs” were confiscated, said the state media.
The narcotics were said to trafficked from Cambodia to Ho Chin Minh City and some were “consumed domestically” while others were transported to South Korea, as said by Mr. Vu. As per report, the officers caught the trafficking when they searched a container truck that was preparing to complete customs clearance for shipment to South Korea. The search was done according to reported indictment.
The state media said inside the container was “40 plastic packages containing white crystals, with total of 39.5 kg of methamphetamine”, as reported by France 24.
There is not information about the execution of the accused. Vietnam courts has routinely handed out death penalties for drug convictions and the country holds a position of leading executioner globally, as per Amnesty International.
