The defendants in the court on Wednesday in the central province of Nghệ An.—VNA/VNS Photo Văn Tý

NGHỆ AN — Six people have been sentenced to death and another jailed for life for trafficking and trading more than 44.6kg of drugs.

The People’s Court of Nghệ An Province issued the death penalty to Chu Huy Tuấn, Nguyễn Văn Quang, Nguyễn Quang Trung, Đỗ Đình Đại, Bùi Văn Khanh and Phan Văn Trang. Trần Lưu Thắng was jailed for life.

According to the indictment of the Supreme People's Procuracy, around 8am on October 28, 2020, the Drug-related Crime Investigation Police Department under the Ministry of Public Security caught red-handed Nguyễn Quang Trung, 29, carrying a suitcase and a leather bag with over 9.8kg of methamphetamine inside.

He was arrested at the foot of Suối Tiên pedestrian bridge in Linh Trung Ward, Thủ Đức District in HCM City.

Trung, from Tây Hiếu Commune, Thái Hòa Township in the central province of Nghệ An, admitted to the police that he was hired by Chu Huy Tuấn, 33, of Nghĩa Tiến Commune, Thái Hòa Township in the province, to illegally transport the methamphetamine from the province to HCM City and deliver to Trần Lưu Thắng.

After further investigations, police determined that Nguyễn Văn Quang, 33; Đỗ Đình Đại, 27; and Phan Văn Trang, 44, all of them from Thái Hòa Township in the province, prepared the drugs and helped Trung.

Police also found that Tuấn, Quang, Đại, Trang and Khanh had previously trading a total of about 34,795kg of drugs including ketamine, methamphetamine, and MDMA (3,4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine).

In separate case, the Border Guard of An Giang Province said on Wednesday evening that they had arrested Lê Văn Thanh, 43, for illegally transporting 34.4kg of cannabis across the border.

Thanh admitted to the police he was paid VNĐ700,000 (US$30) to illegally transport the cannabis from Cambodia to Việt Nam.

Also at the scene, the police seized a package of 22.6kg cannabis from another suspect, who escaped from the scene. — VNS