Vũ Hoàng Oanh at the trial. — VNA/VNS Photo

HCM CITY — Prosecutors in HCM City have called for death sentences to be handed down to 28 people involved in a transnational drug trafficking gang led by ringleader 67-year-old Vũ Hoàng Oanh.

The People’s Procuracy of HCM City is seeking the maximum death sentence for 28 of the 35 accused of operating the narcotics operation that smuggled heroin from the Golden Triangle into Việt Nam.

Major drug trafficking network

Based on case files and court proceedings, representatives of the HCM City People’s Procuracy established that between 2019 and 2022, defendant Vũ Hoàng Oanh, also known as Oanh Hà, from Hải Phòng City, orchestrated and directed a sophisticated transnational drug trafficking network. This operation smuggled narcotics from Cambodia into Việt Nam, distributing them across HCM City, Hải Phòng, Nam Định, Hà Nội and other provinces.

Oanh had previously been listed as wanted by the Ministry of Public Security’s Department of Drug Crime Investigation (C04) for "illicit drug trafficking" and was also subject to an Interpol international warrant. Despite being a fugitive, she brazenly continued to mastermind the large-scale operation, enlisting numerous dangerous accomplices to execute her plans.

Initially, Oanh employed Nguyễn Văn Nam (34, also from Hải Phòng City) to transport 34 packages of narcotics, totalling nearly 13kg, through unofficial border crossings near An Giang Province into HCM City, where they were handed over to her clients. As the operation expanded, Oanh recruited Nguyễn Anh Bảo Quốc (a HCM City resident) to receive drugs hidden in used car gearboxes, which were then delivered to Nam or other recipients. In northern provinces, Oanh instructed Nam to collect drugs from Quốc or another associate in District 8, HCM City, and transport them to Hải Phòng City for further distribution.

To evade law enforcement, Oanh operated from a casino near the Cambodian border, employing highly sophisticated methods to smuggle drugs. These included hiding narcotics in shipping containers, pig stomachs, plastic pellets and used car gearboxes. Communication within the network was carefully managed via the encrypted messaging app Signal and foreign SIM cards, with members using aliases such as 'Colombia' and 'Mosscau'.

Oanh herself utilised foreign SIM cards, including those from the UK and the US, to coordinate her operations and maintain anonymity. She often disguised her identity, wearing masks during video calls to avoid recognition. Her accomplices were given code names such as "Ốc" (Snail), "Vít" (Screw), and "Búa" (Hammer) to further obscure their identities. Financial transactions for the network were conducted through intermediary accounts under the alias "Hoang Cong Tu," with the total value of these illicit dealings estimated at approximately VNĐ1.4 trillion.

Large-scale operation

The defendants admitted to transporting 129 gearboxes from Cambodia to Việt Nam, with each gearbox concealing approximately 50kg of heroin, totalling over 6.4 tonnes. However, their testimonies lacked specific details regarding the timing, quantities, and types of drugs. As a result, prosecutors charged the defendants with trafficking, transporting, and storing 626kg of narcotics, the amount seized as evidence.

Oanh denied all allegations, claiming she moved to Cambodia in 2018 due to illness and was unaware of the international warrant against her. She denied knowing her co-defendants or directing any criminal activities. However, prosecutors rejected her statements, asserting that the charges were accurate and well-founded. Oanh’s refusal to admit guilt disqualified her from any consideration of leniency.

Key accomplice Nguyễn Văn Nam admitted to assisting Oanh in trafficking 384kg of narcotics, for which he received payments ranging from VNĐ300–500 million per shipment. Bank records revealed total payments to Nam amounting to VNĐ15.5 billion. Upon review, prosecutors reduced his charge to 215kg, applying principles of leniency.

Another defendant, Lương Thị Thu Huyền, identified as Nam’s girlfriend, was charged with trafficking over 132kg of narcotics. Huyền’s plea for leniency, citing her role as a parent, was dismissed as the child in question was not hers and Nam’s.

Prosecutors underscored the gravity of the crimes, describing them as transnational, meticulously organised and involving an extraordinary quantity of narcotics over an extended period. Evidence confirmed Oanh’s role as the ringleader, directly orchestrating the criminal operations.

The Procuracy proposed the death penalty for several defendants, including: Vũ Hoàng Oanh, Nguyễn Văn Nam, Nguyễn Anh Bảo Quốc, Nguyễn Thị Thanh Thủy, Nguyễn Văn Vũ and Lương Thị Thu Huyền.

These charges were brought under Article 251 (Clause 4) and Article 250 (Clause 4) of the Penal Code for “illicit drug trafficking” and “illicit drug transportation.”

Life imprisonment was recommended for defendants such as Nguyễn Ngọc Duy, Đinh Xuân Dương, and Tạ Thị Duyên, while defendants Phạm Bích Nguyệt and Trần Ngọc Phụng were recommended to receive 20-year prison terms. — VNS