Four defendants during the hearing on Tuesday in Lạng Sơn Province. They were sentenced to death for drug trafficking. — VNA/VNS Photo Thái Thuần

LẠNG SƠN — The People’s Court in northern Lạng Sơn Province has sentenced four members of a drug gang to death for trafficking narcotics.

The men were Triệu Ký Voòng, 50, from Lạng Sơn City, and his accomplices including Phạm Xuân Lân, 38, and Sồng A Sang, 36, from Sơn La Province and Liễu Văn Cây, 45, from Lạng Sơn Province.

According to the indictment, between March 2017 and May 2018, they colluded to illegally transport and trade a total of 320 bricks of heroin, weighing more than 100kg.

Voòng, head of the gang, directed his members to transport drugs from Lạng Sơn Province to Hà Nội and onwards for sale in China.

On May 16, 2018, in Chi Lăng District, Lạng Sơn Province, local police in co-ordination with officers from the Ministry of Public Security caught Phạm Xuân Lân while he was transporting 20 bricks of heroin in a truck from Sơn La to Lạng Sơn Province.

Lân's arrest led to the capture of others in the gang.

In order to avoid the attention of officers, Voòng set up a series of front restaurants and hotels in the centre of Lạng Sơn City.

At the first instance trial on Monday and Tuesday, Voòng and his accomplices confessed to their crime.

In addition, the court imposed an additional fine and collected VNĐ3.52 billion (US$153,000) from the defendants. — VNS