2 Laotian men get death for smuggling 33 kg of drugs into Vietnam

Kou Vang, 27, and Chue Xonglavang, 25, of Borikhamxay Province in Laos were found guilty of illegally transporting narcotics last Friday.

Chue Xonglavang (L) and Kou Vang at a court in Hai Duong Province, April 11, 2025. Photo by VnExpress/Le Tan

On the night of Sept. 6, 2024, a task force from the Drug Crime Investigation Department and other agencies stopped a suspicious vehicle with Lao license plates in Ben Tam Ward in Hai Duong's Chi Linh City.

The car was driven by Vang and Xonglavang accompanied him.

After the vehicle was brought to a police station, authorities discovered over 14 kg of heroin, 2.8 kg of ketamine, and 16.6 kg of methamphetamine hidden in its fuel tank.

The duo claimed they were hired by a fellow Laotian named Vang Xay to drive the car from Vientiane to Vietnam and deliver it to a friend in Chi Linh City.

They were instructed to wait for Vang Xay's friend upon arriving in Vietnam, hand over the car and return home.

Vang Xay had promised to pay Chue Xonglavang 50,000 baht (US$1,490) and Kou Vang 100,000 baht.

Throughout their journey to Chi Linh City, Xonglavang used his cell phone to notify Vang Xay of the vehicle's location.

In the afternoon of Sept. 6, 2024, Vang Xay sent Xonglavang a photo of a phone number (0562082756) and a VND100,000 note, instructing him, "When you meet the person with the matching serial number [on the cash note] and phone number, hand over the car."

However, before they could make the exchange, they were arrested.

In court, both defendants claimed they were unaware of the drugs hidden in the car.

But the prosecution argued that their statements were consistent with all the details that happened along the trip from Laos to Chi Linh.

Some images of drugs found on Xonglavang's phone matched the drugs seized by the police, and other evidence corroborated the case.

The court agreed with the prosecution, determining that the defendants were fully aware of the illegal nature of their actions and carried out the crime intentionally.

Their actions posed a serious threat to society, and given the large quantity of drugs involved, a severe punishment was necessary for deterrence, it added.