VIETNAM CONDEMNS SIXHEROIN TRAFFICKERS TO DEATH

a court in Hanoi, Vietnam, condemned six people to death by firing squad and 12 to life in jail for trafficking more than 15 kg (33 lb) of heroin. The six facing execution were in a ring that trafficked the heroin and 3.5 kg of opium in candy boxes or medical herbs from Laos for retail in Hanoi between 1996 and 2001.
One of the 12 jailed for life was a policeman who intercepted two packs of heroin from the trafficker and sold it on his own. Five others were handed terms of seven to 20 years after the two-week trial.