Defendants listen to the verdict at the main courtroom of the HCM City People’s Court on Thursday. — VNA/VNS Photo

HCM CITY — A court in HCM City has sentenced 11 defendants to death and 22 others to life imprisonment in one of Việt Nam’s most serious drug trafficking cases, involving a multilayered narcotics network with transactions worth nearly VNĐ29 trillion (US$1.1 billion).

The HCM City People’s Court on Thursday handed down sentences to all 227 defendants after nearly 20 days of trial and deliberation, with penalties ranging from 18 months’ suspended imprisonment to death.

All 11 defendants sentenced to death were convicted of illegally trafficking narcotics and fined VNĐ50-100 million ($1,900-3,800).

Hà Danh Nậm, 52, from Nghệ An Province, was identified as a ringleader of the network and was held responsible for trafficking nearly 18kg of drugs.

Hoàng Sỹ Thắng and his son-in-law Bùi Văn Ánh were each sentenced to life imprisonment for illegally transporting narcotics.

Twenty other defendants received life sentences for drug trafficking.

The remaining defendants received prison terms ranging from 18 months’ suspended imprisonment to 29 years for offences including drug trafficking, drug transportation, drug possession, organising illegal drug use, failing to report crimes and illegally retaining property.

The court said the defendants had played different roles in the network, from leaders and organisers to accomplices, and that penalties were imposed according to the seriousness of their conduct and individual involvement.

It imposed harsher penalties on those who played leading roles while taking mitigating circumstances into account for accomplices. Most defendants admitted their offences and expressed remorse.

Nậm, three defendants who remain wanted by authorities and Vũ Hải Anh denied the charges, the court said.

Drugs hidden in toothpaste tubes

The case began with the discovery of drugs in the luggage of four female flight attendants returning from France on March 16, 2023.

While screening luggage from Vietnam Airlines flight VN10 at Tân Sơn Nhất International Airport, customs officers detected 327 toothpaste tubes.

A search found that 157 tubes contained more than 11kg of drugs, including 2,973.37g of ketamine and 8,312g of MDMA.

The discovery prompted HCM City Police and other agencies to launch the VN10 investigation and trace the people behind the shipments.

Investigators later found insufficient grounds to prosecute the four flight attendants, concluding that they had unknowingly transported the drugs.

According to the court, Nậm had organised several shipments of drugs from France to Việt Nam, concealing them in toothpaste and other consumer goods and using international express delivery services.

Thắng received the shipments and divided the drugs before instructing Ánh to deliver them to distributors in HCM City and neighbouring localities.

The network used multiple methods to conceal its activities, including disguising drugs in consumer goods, exploiting cargo consolidation and delivery services, using secure messaging applications and bank accounts registered in other people's names.

Defendants at Chí Hòa Detention Centre listen to the verdict via a live video link from the courtroom on Thursday. — VNA/VNS Photo

VNĐ29 trillion network

As the investigation expanded, authorities uncovered a large network organised in multiple layers and branches to conceal its leaders and facilitate the distribution of drugs.

According to prosecutors, transactions linked to the network were worth nearly VNĐ29 trillion ($1.1 billion).

More than 2,700 defendants were prosecuted in 477 cases during the investigation, while 227 defendants were brought to trial in the current case.

The court described the case as particularly serious because the defendants had established a sophisticated network to traffic and transport large quantities of drugs through multiple channels.

The investigation also involved several public figures accused of involvement in illegal drug use.

Singer Chi Dân was sentenced to seven years in prison for organising illegal drug use, while model An Tây received eight years for organising illegal drug use and illegally possessing narcotics.

Charity figure Nguyễn Đỗ Trúc Phương was sentenced to six years for organising illegal drug use, while her boyfriend Vũ Hải Anh received seven years for the same offence.

The court said the sentences reflected the defendants’ respective roles and the seriousness of their conduct, while taking relevant mitigating circumstances into account. — VNS