Nine individuals, including Tran Hoang Tin, 39, were sentenced to death on Saturday by the Ho Chi Minh City People’s Court for their roles in a major drug trafficking operation that smuggled 91 kilograms of narcotics from Cambodia into Vietnam, using air purifiers and motorbikes to conceal the drugs.
According to court documents, Tin led the transnational drug ring, orchestrating deals with suppliers and buyers in both Cambodia and Vietnam. He first acquired 10 packages of drugs hidden in six air purifiers from a supplier named Pham Thi Kim Phung, but when the drugs were deemed low quality by his intended buyer Cao Thien Phuoc, Tin changed sources and began working with La Gia Cuong, 55.
Cuong, who was also sentenced to death and faced additional charges of drug storage, provided Tin with more narcotics, which were again hidden in household appliances and smuggled into Vietnam. Further operations revealed that Tin also obtained drugs from Nguyen Van Can, who was arrested in April 2023 with over 21 kilograms of drugs hidden in various vehicles.
Raids on properties linked to other gang members uncovered another 30 kilograms of illegal substances. Between December 2022 and April 2023, authorities confirmed the group trafficked over 91 kilograms of drugs and earned illicit profits amounting to approximately VND1.3 billion (roughly $49,958 USD) for Tin.
The court handed death sentences to Tin, Cuong, and seven other accomplices, highlighting the scale and severity of the operation and reinforcing Vietnam’s strict drug laws, which include capital punishment for trafficking large quantities of illegal substances.
