Drugs concealed in toothpaste tubes are seen in luggage carried by flight attendants in the case. — Photo courtesy of the police

HCM CITY — Nine defendants face the death penalty for allegedly playing leading roles in trafficking large quantities of drugs from Europe and Cambodia into Việt Nam, with the HCM City People’s Court due to deliver its verdict on Thursday.

Prosecutors sought death sentences for the nine on August 24, all on charges of illegal drug trafficking, after more than a week of hearings involving 227 defendants in the VN10 case.

Among those facing the death penalty is Hà Danh Nậm, 52, whom prosecutors identified as an alleged organiser of a network that arranged for drugs to be brought from France to Việt Nam.

Nậm allegedly concealed drugs in toothpaste, coffee, chocolate and shampoo and arranged for people in France to carry them in luggage or send them by express delivery.

One shipment intercepted at HCM City’s Tân Sơn Nhất airport in March 2023 contained more than 8.3 kg of MDMA and nearly 3 kg of ketamine and was found in luggage carried by four female flight attendants returning from France.

Prosecutors also identified Nguyễn Huy Hoàng, 29, as a major buyer who allegedly obtained 118,600 MDMA tablets, weighing about 39.8 kg, through a Telegram contact between February and March 2023.

Hoàng allegedly distributed the drugs to several buyers, including Lê Thắng Anh Tú, while associates helped receive, store and deliver them.

Prosecutors have sought death sentences for Hoàng, Tú and several people accused of assisting their operations.

Another alleged major buyer, Văn Hoàng Minh, was accused of purchasing 10,000 MDMA tablets from Hoàng for resale.

In a separate branch, Lê Nguyễn Gia Bảo allegedly used Telegram and Signal to arrange drug purchases and distribution. Prosecutors said he was responsible for more than 11.2 kg of ketamine, more than 5.1 kg of MDMA and more than 17 kg of other drugs.

The ninth defendant facing a death sentence is Phạm Đức Duy, who prosecutors said progressed from using drugs to delivering them for others and later buying drugs for resale.

Prosecutors described VN10 as an exceptionally serious case involving the trafficking of large quantities of drugs from Europe and Cambodia and their distribution across multiple provinces and cities.

The remaining defendants face sentences ranging from 18 months in prison to life imprisonment for one or more drug-related offences.

The court is scheduled to announce its verdict on Thursday. — VNS