HOÀ BÌNH — Two drug traffickers were sentenced to 20 years imprisonment each for transporting 4,000 tablets of ecstasy from the northern mountainous province of Sơn La to Hà Nội, Vietnam News Agency reported.

On Thursday, Hoà Bình Province People’s Court opened the first trial against Trần Văn Luân, born in 1991 in Kim Động District, Hưng Yên Province, and Đỗ Thế Duy, born in 1988 in Mai Sơn District, Sơn La Province.

The accused pleaded guilty at the court on being questioned.

The taxi driver who was aiding them was only given a fine, since he was not directly involved in the act of trafficking. According to the indictment, on July 31, 2017, Luân met Duy in Đông Anh District, Hà Nội, and offered him VNĐ5 million (US$230) to buy drugs. Duy agreed.

On August 1, Duy went to Lao Khô Village, Phiêng Khoải Commune in Yên Châu District of Sơn La Province, to buy ecstasy from a Mông ethnic man whose identity could not be ascertained.

He then called another Mông man of Laos nationality and asked Duy to trade a bag of drugs at VNĐ3 million ($130). On August 2, Duy received 20 bags of ecstasy near the Việt Nam-Laos border and waited for Luân to pick him up in Yên Châu District. Luân paid him a total of VNĐ60 million ($2,640) for the drugs. At 6pm the same day, Luân and Duy met in Vân Hồ District, Sơn La Province, and took a taxi to Hà Nội. When they arrived at Phong Phú Commune, Tân Lạc District in Hoà Bình Province at 1.30pm on August 3, they were stopped by the district police. Luân asked the driver to keep going and threw away the bags of drugs.

But despite their efforts to escape, police caught them with 4,000 tablets of ecstasy weighing 395.89g and other items. — VNS