Vietnam sentences 11 to death, jails 200 in drug trafficking case
The drug-smuggling operation involved flight attendants and other Vietnamese living in France who transported concealed synthetic drugs to Vietnam.
A Vietnam court sentenced 11 people to death and over 200 others to prison in a major drug trafficking case, according to state media. The drug-smuggling ring involved Vietnamese flight attendants and others living in France who concealed synthetic drugs in toothpaste tubes and sent them to Vietnam. Customs officials discovered 11kg of MDMA and ketamine in over 150 toothpaste tubes at Ho Chi Minh City's international airport in early 2023.
The ringleader, tried in absentia, was among those sentenced to death, while other defendants received sentences ranging from suspended sentences to 29 years in prison for various drug offenses and failing to report crimes. Authorities uncovered the operation after discovering the toothpaste tubes during a customs inspection. The trial, which featured more than 120 lawyers, was conducted both in person and online due to the large number of defendants.
Vietnam has some of the world's strictest drug laws, regularly imposing death sentences for drug convictions.
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