Ho Chi Minh City (VNA) – Procurators are seeking the death penalty for nine people accused of illegally trading narcotics, including Ha Danh Nam, said to be the mastermind behind the operation.
They’re part of a larger group of 227 defendants tied to a major drug trafficking ring that grew out of a March 2023 case involving four female flight attendants allegedly used to smuggle drugs through Tan Son Nhat International Airport.
The Ho Chi Minh City People’s Procuracy on August 24 delivered its indictment against the 227 defendants, describing it as an extremely serious, highly sophisticated, and large-scale transnational case.
According to the procuracy, Ha Danh Nam, 52, from Nghe An province organised the transportation of drugs from France to Vietnam by air and through international express delivery services. The drugs were concealed in toothpaste, dietary supplements, confectionery, and other consumer goods.
Nam successfully arranged six shipments before the next consignment was detected. Hoang Sy Thang was hired to receive the drugs in Dong Nai before recruiting Bui Van Anh to help divide the drugs and deliver them to distribution contacts. The network subsequently developed multiple distribution branches in Ho Chi Minh City, former Binh Duong province, and several other localities.
The prosecution sought the death penalty for Nam and eight other defendants for “illegally trading in narcotic substances”, along with an additional fine of 50 million VND (about 2,000 USD) for each. It proposed life imprisonment and a 50-million-VND fine for Hoang Sy Thang, while Bui Van Anh faces a proposed 20-year prison term and a 30-million-VND fine for “illegally transporting narcotic substances”.
The procuracy said the network involved the smuggling of drugs from abroad into Vietnam, storage, distribution, retail sales, and organisation of drug use. The defendants allegedly used Telegram, Signal and private groups to conduct transactions, as well as bank accounts registered under other people’s names, delivery services, and various concealment methods to evade detection.
The volume of drugs involved was described as particularly large and included various types of narcotics. Some defendants were also accused of possessing guns and ammunition for self-protection or to resist arrest. Evidence presented at the trial showed that the network’s transactions involved nearly 29 trillion VND (1.1 billion USD).
Investigations on the case began on March 16, 2023, when customs officers at Tan Son Nhat International Airport inspected the luggage of four flight attendants returning to Vietnam on flight VN10 from France. They discovered 327 tubes of toothpaste, 157 of which contained more than 2.9kg of ketamine and 8.3kg of MDMA.
Following the discovery, Ho Chi Minh City police launched a special investigation and expanded the probe, uncovering a criminal network involving links between suspects inside and outside Vietnam. According to information presented at the trial, the expanded investigation resulted in the initiation of proceedings in 477 cases with more than 2,700 suspects./.
Nigerian national arrested in cross-border drug trafficking case
The case was uncovered at the Lao Bao International Border Gate, and a physical inspection found drugs concealed inside electric water heaters and electronic components used as disguises.
