The death penalty for drug offences
Archive theme
International law restricts the death penalty, where it still exists, to the most serious crimes, and United Nations bodies have made clear more than once that drug offences do not belong to that category. Despite this, some states go on sentencing people to death and executing them for trafficking or possession of narcotics: in certain years these executions are a substantial share of the world total.
This page collects the news on death sentences and executions for drug offences.
Latest news
OCTOBER 9, 2019VietnamDEATH PENALTYVIETNAM: 8 PEOPLE SENTENCED TO DEATH FOR DRUG TRAFFICKING
A court in Ho Chi Minh City has sentenced eight people to death for drug trafficking, a court official said on 8 October 2019.
- SEPTEMBER 25, 2019IranDEATH PENALTY
IRAN - Soltan Fathi Rad executed on September 25 at the Central Prison of Borujerd.
IRAN - Soltan Fathi Rad executed on September 25 at the Central Prison of Borujerd.
SEPTEMBER 24, 2019KuwaitDEATH PENALTYKUWAIT: INDIAN NATIONAL GETS DEATH PENALTY FOR DRUG TRAFFICKING
Indian national Rajinder Singh, a resident of Taragarh village in Punjab, has been sentenced to death in Kuwait for drug trafficking, tribuneindia.com reported on 23 September 2019.
SEPTEMBER 19, 2019VietnamDEATH PENALTYVIETNAM: WOMAN GETS DEATH PENALTY FOR SMUGGLING 22 BRICKS OF HEROIN
A Vietnamese woman on 17 September 2019 was sentenced to death for smuggling 22 bricks of heroin weighing 7.73 kilograms from Laos into Vietnam.
SEPTEMBER 12, 2019VietnamDEATH PENALTYVIETNAM: LAO MAN SENTENCED TO DEATH FOR CARRYING HEROIN
A Laotian man was sentenced to death on 9 September 2019 for transporting 35 kilos of heroin into Vietnam last year, and his Vietnamese accomplice got life.
SEPTEMBER 11, 2019SingaporeDEATH PENALTYSINGAPORE: MAN GETS DEATH PENALTY FOR TRAFFICKING HEROIN
A 59-year-old man was sentenced to death in the High Court after being found in possession of 52.75 g of diamorphine, also known as heroin, for the purpose of drug trafficking.
SEPTEMBER 9, 2019VietnamDEATH PENALTYVIETNAM: TWO GET DEATH, FOUR SENTENCED TO LIFE FOR DRUG TRAFFICKING
The Hanoi People’s Court sentenced two people to death and gave life sentences to four others for trading 5.6 kilograms of drugs at a trial on 5 September 2019.
SEPTEMBER 5, 2019ChinaDEATH PENALTYCHINA: 19 SENTENCED FOR DRUG TRAFFICKING THROUGH HUMAN BODIES
A court in east China's Jiangsu Province has sentenced 19 gang members to prison for cross-border drug trafficking, Xinhua reported on 4 September 2019.
SEPTEMBER 4, 2019Sri LankaDEATH PENALTYSRI LANKA: DRUG TRAFFICKER SENTENCED TO DEATH BY COLOMBO HC
The Colombo High Court on 21 August 2019 sentenced a person to death for the trafficking and possession of heroin.
SEPTEMBER 2, 2019VietnamDEATH PENALTYVIETNAM: LAOTIAN MAN SENTENCED TO DEATH FOR METH SMUGGLING
The Quang Binh Provincial People's Court on 28 August 2019 gave a death sentence to a Laotian man for involving in the smuggling of over 300 kilos of meth.
AUGUST 1, 2019VietnamDEATH PENALTYVIETNAM: FOUR SENTENCED TO DEATH FOR DRUG TRAFFICKING
A HCMC court on 29 July 2019 sentenced a Vietnamese Australian drug ring leader and three of her accomplices to death.
- JULY 31, 2019Sri LankaDEATH PENALTY
SRI LANKA: HEROIN SMUGGLER SENTENCED TO DEATH BY COLOMBO HIGH COURT
The Colombo High Court on 30 July 2019 sentenced a heroin smuggler to death. The suspect is Jesmin Rizwan, a resident of Maligawatta.
JULY 29, 2019DEATH PENALTYIRAN: THREE PRISONERS EXECUTED FOR MURDER, DRUG TRAFFICKING
Three men were recently hanged in Iran for murder and drug trafficking.
- JULY 24, 2019MalaysiaDEATH PENALTY
DON'T HANG A MENTALLY DISABLED PERSON, LAWYER TELLS SINGAPORE
A rights group on 23 July 2019 urged the Singapore government not to execute a 31-year-old Malaysian who was convicted of drug trafficking and sentenced to death in 2010.
- JULY 23, 2019VietnamDEATH PENALTY
VIETNAM: FORMER POLICE OFFICER SENTENCED TO DEATH FOR TRADING DRUG
Two former police officers in Hai Phong were sentenced to death and 20 years in jail on 22 July 2019 for trading meth stolen from a drug bust.
JULY 23, 2019Sri LankaDEATH PENALTYSRI LANKA: DRUG TRAFFICKER SENTENCED TO DEATH
A suspect that was convicted of heroin racketeering charges was sentenced to death by the Colombo High Court on 18 July 2019.
JULY 5, 2019VietnamDEATH PENALTYVIETNAM: TWO DRUG TRADERS SENTENCED TO DEATH
A central Vietnam court sentenced two men to death on 1 July 2019 for trading over 4.8 kilos of narcotics last year.
- JULY 4, 2019VietnamDEATH PENALTY
VIETNAM: 4 DRUG TRAFFICKERS GET DEATH SENTENCE
Four Vietnamese people on 3 July 2019 were sentenced to death and two others got jail terms of 18 years and 20 years respectively for trafficking over 3.4 kg of heroin.
JUNE 21, 2019Sri LankaDEATH PENALTYSRI LANKA: FATHER OF THREE SENTENCED TO DEATH OVER POSSESSION OF HEROIN
A father of three has been sentenced to death over the possession of heroin, as per the order of the Colombo High Court.
JUNE 17, 2019VietnamDEATH PENALTYVIETNAM: THREE DRUG TRAFFICKERS SENTENCED TO DEATH
A court in Lang Son Province in northern Vietnam on 13 June 2019 gave death sentences to two men and a woman for smuggling heroin and synthetic drugs.
JUNE 13, 2019VietnamDEATH PENALTYVIETNAM: TWO MEN SENTENCED TO DEATH FOR DRUG TRAFFICKING
A central Vietnam court has sentenced two men to death for trafficking meth and heroin from Laos to Vietnam.
- JUNE 4, 2019SingaporeDEATH PENALTY
SINGAPORE: NIGERIAN SPARED DEATH SENTENCE AFTER COURT OF APPEAL ACQUITS HIM OF IMPORTING DRUGS
A Nigerian man facing the gallows for importing drugs into Singapore eight years ago was spared death on 27 May 2019 after the Court of Appeal acquitted him of his capital charge.
MAY 29, 2019ChinaDEATH PENALTYCHINA: TWO DRUG TRAFFICKER SENTENCED TO DEATH SIX YEARS AFTER THE TRIAL
The Intermediate People’s Court in Jiangmen, Guangdong province, on 30 April 2019 handed down death sentences for drug offences to two accused and suspended death sentences for five others.
MAY 21, 2019FranceDEATH PENALTYINDONESIA: FRENCHMAN FELIX DORFIN SENTENCED TO DEATH FOR DRUG TRAFFICKING
A Frenchman arrested in Indonesia with nearly 4kg of drugs in his luggage was sentenced to death for drug trafficking.
- MAY 20, 2019SingaporeDEATH PENALTY
SINGAPOREANS SUPPORT DRUG LAWS, BUT ONLY HALF THE COUNTRY’S YOUNG SAY DEATH PENALTY IS APPROPRIATE
Singapore’s tough anti-drug laws command overwhelming support across the population, but only about half of younger people feel the death penalty is an appropriate punishment for severe drug offences, a government survey has found.
MAY 20, 2019VietnamDEATH PENALTYVIETNAM: TEN DRUG SMUGGLERS SENTENCED TO DEATH
Vietnam has sentenced 10 people to death for smuggling meth, ketamine and ecstasy across the country by train, state media reported on 17 May 2019.
MAY 2, 2019IranDEATH PENALTYIRAN: MAN HANGED FOR DRUG OFFENSES AT KERMAN PRISON
According to IHR sources, on the morning of 28 April 2019 a man was hanged at Kerman Central Prison on drug charges.
APRIL 30, 2019ChinaDEATH PENALTYCHINA: CANADIAN SENTENCED TO DEATH FOR DRUG OFFENCES
A Chinese court sentenced a Canadian national to death on 30 April 2019 for producing and trafficking methamphetamine.
- APRIL 22, 2019MalaysiaDEATH PENALTY
MALAYSIA UPHOLDS DEATH SENTENCE FOR VIETNAMESE WOMAN CAUGHT TRAFFICKING DRUGS
A Malaysian court has rejected a Vietnamese woman’s appeal to set aside her death sentence for drug trafficking, e.vnexpress.net reported on 22 April 2019.
- FEBRUARY 26, 2019United KingdomDEATH PENALTY
DRUG OFFENCE EXECUTIONS MORE THAN HALVE IN 2018 AFTER IRAN REFORM
Human rights experts have hailed a sharp drop in executions for drug offences in 2018, even as they expressed worries over a large number of people worldwide still facing the death penalty for non-violent drug crimes.