The death penalty for drug offences
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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
APRIL 13, 2021VietnamDEATH PENALTYVIETNAM: NIGERIAN DRUG TRANSPORTER SENTENCED TO DEATH
The People’s Court of the southwestern province of Tay Ninh on 13 April 2021 sentenced Unachukwu Chiluba Paulinus, a Nigerian man born in 1996, to death for illegally transporting narcotic substances under Clause 4, Article 250 of the 2015 Penal Code.
MARCH 31, 2021VietnamDEATH PENALTYVIETNAM: TWO MEN SENTENCED TO DEATH FOR TRADING DRUGS IN NORTH-CENTRAL PROVINCES
Two defendants on 30 March 2021 were sentenced to death for drug-related offenses in two separate cases in the north-central Vietnamese provinces of Ha Tinh and Nghe An.
MARCH 3, 2021VietnamDEATH PENALTYVIETNAM: NIGERIAN MAN SENTENCED TO DEATH FOR TRANSPORTING NEARLY 4KG OF METH
The People’s Court of the southern border province of Tay Ninh on 2 March 2021 handed down the death penalty to a Nigerian man for illegally transporting nearly 4kg of meth, in line with the 2015 Criminal Code.
FEBRUARY 20, 2021ThailandDEATH PENALTYTHAILAND: DRUG BARON'S SONS GET DEATH
Two sons of convicted drug baron and former Kuomintang fighter Lao Ta Saenlee were sentenced to death on 17 February 2021 by the Criminal Court for drug trafficking and money laundering.
FEBRUARY 13, 2021Saudi ArabiaDEATH PENALTYSAUDI ARABIA: EGYPTIAN ALI ABU AL-QASIM’S DEATH SENTENCE REDUCED TO 25 YEARS IN PRISON
Saudi Arabia’s Tabuk Criminal Court sentenced on 11 February 2021 Egyptian engineer Ali Abul-Qasim to 25 years in prison after cancelling a death penalty over his conviction in a drug trafficking case.
FEBRUARY 2, 2021VietnamDEATH PENALTYVIETNAM: SIX PEOPLE SENTENCED TO DEATH FOR DRUG TRAFFICKING
A court in Vietnam’s Ho Chi Minh city sentenced six members of a transnational gang to death on 29 January 2021 for trafficking 100 kg of drugs from Cambodia to Vietnam, VNExpress reported.
JANUARY 15, 2021VietnamDEATH PENALTYVIETNAM: SIX SENTENCED TO DEATH IN HCMC FOR DRUG TRAFFICKING
A court in Ho Chi Minh City on 12 January 2021 sentenced six drug traffickers to death for smuggling 13.8 kilograms of synthetic drugs and ketamine from Cambodia into the city.
- DECEMBER 22, 2020DEATH PENALTY
APPEAL OF REPRIEVE, IHR AND HOC TO THE ITALIAN GOVERNMENT NOT TO PROVIDE SUPPORT TO THE DEATH PENALTY IN IRAN
DECEMBER 9, 2020IndonesiaDEATH PENALTYINDONESIA: EAST ACEH COURT HANDS DOWN DEATH SENTENCE TO DRUG SMUGGLER
The Idi District Court in East Aceh, Aceh, sentenced M. Kasem bin Abdullah, 35, to death on 3 December 2020 after finding him guilty of smuggling 45 kilograms crystal methamphetamine from Malaysia into Indonesia in April 2020.
- NOVEMBER 4, 2020United Arab EmiratesDEATH PENALTY
UAE: SUPREME COURT QUASHES DEATH PENALTY FOR DRUG DEALERS; FRESH TRIAL ORDERED
Two men convicted of dealing heroin have had their death sentences overturned by the UAE’s top court, Khaleej Times reported on 4 November 2020.
- NOVEMBER 4, 2020SingaporeDEATH PENALTY
SINGAPORE: MAN WHO ESCAPED THE GALLOWS FOR KILLING CNB OFFICER GETS DEATH SENTENCE FOR DRUG TRAFFICKING
A 61-year-old man on 2 November 2020 was sentenced to the mandatory death penalty in Singapore for trafficking in at least 78.77g of heroin, almost three decades after escaping the hangman’s noose for killing a Central Narcotics Bureau (CNB) officer.
OCTOBER 27, 2020VietnamDEATH PENALTYVIETNAM: HIGH COURT UPHOLDS DEATH PENALTY FOR DRUG TRAFFICKING
The High People’s Court in Ho Chi Minh City on 23 October 2020 rejected an appeal and upheld the death penalty against a 29-year-old woman for having illegally transported narcotics from Cambodia into Vietnam for 19 times.
OCTOBER 20, 2020SingaporeDEATH PENALTYSINGAPORE: MALAYSIAN MAN ESCAPES HANGING AFTER BEING ACQUITTED ON DRUG CHARGE BY COURT OF APPEAL
A 38-year-old Malaysian man escaped the noose when he was acquitted by the Court of Appeal on 13 October 2020 of a charge of being a drug courier.
OCTOBER 19, 2020SingaporeDEATH PENALTYSINGAPORE: MALAYSIAN ESCAPES GALLOWS AFTER COURT OF APPEAL REVERSES DEATH SENTENCE
Singapore’s Court of Appeal on 19 October 2020 set aside a previous death sentence it meted out to Gobi Avedian, a Malaysian who was convicted of drug trafficking.
OCTOBER 14, 2020VietnamDEATH PENALTYVIETNAM: FILIPINA RECEIVES DEATH FOR DRUG SMUGGLING
A Filipino woman in southern Tay Ninh Province was sentenced to death on 9 October 2020 for smuggling about 5 kg of drugs.
OCTOBER 11, 2020SingaporeDEATH PENALTYSINGAPORE: MINISTER FOR HOME AFFAIRS SHANMUGAM, ‘DEATH PENALTY IS A DETERRENT’
Statistics and studies over the years show the death penalty has had a deterrent effect on some serious crimes in Singapore, said Minister for Home Affairs and Law K. Shanmugam on 5 October 2020.
SEPTEMBER 21, 2020VietnamDEATH PENALTYVIETNAM: DRUG MULE GETS DEATH PENALTY
A court in the north-central province of Ha Tinh sentenced a drug mule to death on 18 September 2020.
SEPTEMBER 17, 2020VietnamDEATH PENALTYVIETNAM: MALAYSIAN WOMAN SENTENCED TO DEATH FOR TRANSPORTING DRUGS
A Vietnamese court on 24 August 2020 sentenced a Malaysian woman to death for transporting 3.3 kg of cocaine from Brazil to Vietnam.
SEPTEMBER 12, 2020MalaysiaDEATH PENALTYMALAYSIA: DRUG DEALER SENTENCED TO DEATH IN KUCHING
A drug dealer on 21 August 2020 was sentenced to death by hanging by the High Court in Kuching on the charge of trafficking 211.95 grams of syabu, or methamphetamine two years ago.
SEPTEMBER 9, 2020VietnamDEATH PENALTYVIETNAM: DRUG DELIVERIES DELIVER DEATH SENTENCE FOR MAN
A 42-year-old Vietnamese man was sentenced to death on 17 August 2020 for delivering many packages of drugs for a Cambodian woman known only as Roem.
- SEPTEMBER 5, 2020VietnamDEATH PENALTY
VIETNAM: FOUR DRUG TRAFFICKERS SENTENCED TO DEATH
A court in the central province of Nghe An on 10 August 2020 sentenced four men to death for trafficking 28.7 kilograms of methamphetamine from Laos.
SEPTEMBER 3, 2020VietnamDEATH PENALTYVIETNAM: SINGAPOREAN DRUG TRAFFICKER GETS DEATH SENTENCE
The People’s Court of the southwestern border province of Tay Ninh on 7 August 2020 handed a death penalty to a 40-year-old Singaporean man for drug trafficking.
SEPTEMBER 1, 2020VietnamDEATH PENALTYVIETNAM: SEVEN MEN GET DEATH SENTENCE FOR TRAFFICKING DRUGS
Seven men residing in the northwestern border province of Dien Bien were sentenced to death on 21 August 2020 for drug trafficking.
AUGUST 3, 2020MalaysiaDEATH PENALTYMALAYSIA: HAWKER SENT TO GALLOWS FOR DRUG TRAFFICKING
A hawker has been sentenced to death for trafficking in 41.7gm of heroin and monoacetylmorphines following a cross-appeal by the prosecution under the amended Dangerous Drugs Act (DDA), Free Malaysia Today reported on 30 July 2020.
AUGUST 1, 2020VietnamDEATH PENALTYVIETNAM: CAMBODIAN CROSS-BORDER DRUG TRAFFICKER GETS DEATH SENTENCE
The People's Court of the southern province of Tay Ninh handed a death penalty to a Cambodian drug trafficker during a trial on 31 July 2020.
JULY 27, 2020VietnamDEATH PENALTYVIETNAM: FIVE DEATH SENTENCES HANDED DOWN IN DRUG CASE
The People’s Court of HCM City on 27 July 2020 handed down five death sentences and four terms of life imprisonment to defendants involved in a major drug ring led by Van Kinh Duong.
JULY 9, 2020IndonesiaDEATH PENALTYINDONESIA: SOME 100 DRUG OFFENDERS SENTENCED TO DEATH THIS YEAR
Indonesian National Police Chief Idham Azis said on 2 July 2020 that around 100 drug offenders across the country have been given capital punishment since the beginning of this year.
JULY 4, 2020VietnamDEATH PENALTYVIETNAM: TAIWANESE DRUG TRAFFICKER SENTENCED TO DEATH
A Taiwanese man was sentenced to death in Ho Chi Minh City on 2 July 2020 for trafficking around 317 kg of heroin.
JUNE 26, 2020ChinaDEATH PENALTYCHINA: TWO DRUG DEALERS EXECUTED
A court in China on 24 June 2020 ordered two convicted drug dealers to be executed immediately during an open trial.
- JUNE 24, 2020ChinaDEATH PENALTY
CHINA: TWO MEN GET DEATH SENTENCE FOR MAKING AND SELLING DRUGS
Two men who made and dealt drugs were sentenced to death on 23 June 2020 by Shenzhen Intermediate People’s Court, days ahead of International Day Against Drug Abuse and Illicit Trafficking (26 June).