VIETNAM: LAOTIAN BROTHERS SENTENCED TO DEATH, LIFE TERM FOR DRUG TRAFFICKING

A Vietnam court gave capital punishment and a life sentence to two Laotian brothers who illegally transported 10 bricks of heroin weighing 3.7kg from Laos to central Vietnam for sale.
These Laotians, whose names are translated into Vietnamese as Xong Ba Tu and Xong Rua Co, were brought to trial by the People’s Court of the central province of Nghe An on Thursday (April 23) on charges of illegally trading in narcotics, pursuant to Article 194 of the Penal Code.
After much consideration, the jury sentenced Tu, 26, to death while giving a life jail term to Co, 29.
According to the indictment, Tu and Co, who lived in the Laotian province of Polykhamsay, carried 10 bricks of heroin weighing about 3.7kg from Laos to an area near the Thanh Thuy border gate in Nghe An on a motorbike on June 27, 2014.
One day later, they hid their bike in a forest nearby and then illegally crossed the border on foot via a track through the forest to enter Nghe An, bringing along the heroin with them.
While they were on the way to deliver the drugs to two Vietnamese people under a previously agreed deal, a team of border guards stopped them for an examination.
Tu and Co then used knives to attack the border guards to escape, but they failed. 
The team then seized from them the 10 bricks of heroin valued at about US$50,000.