VIETNAM: FIVE SENTENCED TO DEATH FOR TRADING HEROIN

A Ho Chi Minh City court sentenced five men to death for joining a 14-strong gang to trade 7 kilograms of heroin.
Nguyen Xuan Dan, Vo Anh Tuan, Vo Tien Thang, Luu Hoang Thao and Hoang Phung Bac Son received the death penalty on charges of “illegal trade of drugs.”
Truong Van Hoa, Tran Ngoc Dinh and Lu Huu Loi were sentenced to life. Five others received jail terms between seven and 20 years on similar charges.
Tran Thuy Trang received 18 years imprisonment for “illegally storing drugs.”
According to the indictment, in 2001, Tuan was introduced to a drug dealer named Dung. He joined Dung’s gang to buy heroin and then sell to bars and clubs.
In August 2003, after Dung and his accomplices were arrested, Tuan fled the country.
He returned to Vietnam in September 2007. He and other drug dealers formed a gang to trade 7 kilograms of heroin between 2008 and 2010.
At least 69 people were sentenced to death in Vietnam in 2011, including 27 for drug smuggling, according to an AFP tally compiled from figures in state media.There are no government statistics, but the official press has reported five executions since the beginning of the year.