VIETNAM: COURT UPHOLDS DEATH PENALTY ON THREE FOR HEROIN TRAFFICKING

in Vietnam, the Ho Chi Minh City Appeal Court retained the death penalty for three who led a trans-national ring that smuggled up to 5.28 kg of heroin. Nguyen Thanh Mai, 40, Van Toan, 35, and Nguyen Thuy Ngoc Bang, 25, were found to have bought and sold abroad a total of 16 cakes of heroin between March 2002 and November 2003. The case was brought to light after Le Hoai Nam , a member of the ring, was caught with 148 grams of heroin on April 27, 2006. The appeal court also upheld the life imprisonment sentence on Nam and another accomplice named Le Van Phong as well as the verdict of 20 years in jail on three other members of the gang.