9 get death for trafficking 105 kg of drugs from Laos

Tran Thi Mau, 56, the ring leader and eight members, aged 39-59, received the death penalty for trafficking 105 kg of drugs, including 93 kg of meth, 8.3 kg of heroin and 3.8 kg of synthetic drugs.

Tran Thi Mau smiles when standing trial in Nghe An Province, Jan. 22, 2024. Photo by VnExpress/Hung Le

Two members, aged 51 and 37, were sentenced to life in prison.

Mau formed the ring in 2021 to carry drugs from Laos into Vietnam via the Nghe An border.

But it was busted the same year, and Mau and the 10 members were arrested one after another between late 2021 and May 2022.

Members of a ring trafficking 105 kg of drugs from Laos to Vietnam at a court in Nghe An Province, Jan. 22, 2024. Photo by VnExpress/Hung Le

Vietnam has some of the world's toughest drug laws. Those convicted of possessing or smuggling more than 600 grams of heroin or cocaine or more than 2.5 kg of methamphetamine face the death penalty.