Trần Văn Bằng (centre) is led away after the trial ended on Monday. — VNA/VNS Photo Quốc Đạt

CAO BẰNG — The People's Court in northern Cao Bằng Province has handed down a series of jail sentences to 12 people involved in the province’s largest drug smuggling ring at court on Monday.

Six defendants received the death sentence, including Trần Văn Thành, Trần Văn Bằng and Trần Văn Thu from Vĩnh Phúc Province; Nông Tài Kinh, Nông Văn Khởi and Nông Tài Tưởng from Cao Bằng Province.

Five other defendants were sentenced to life in prison, including Phan Văn Hiển from Vĩnh Phúc Province; Phương Thị Ly, Triệu Văn Tình, Phương Ích Đậu and Đoàn Trọng Duy from Cao Bằng Province.

Nguyễn Văn Quyết, a member of the ring from Thái Nguyên Province received 27 years in prison.

Trần Văn Bằng, 33, was arrested on February 23, 2018 while carrying 130 tablets in a car from Bắc Kạn to Cao Bằng Province.

Bằng told the police that his cousin, Trần Văn Thành, 32, was also transporting drugs in another car.

Thành threw three bags and a sack containing 288 packages of heroin onto the roadside and fled after discovering that Bằng was being arrested by the police.

He was arrested later.

They claimed to have bought drugs many times from a suspect named Sồng A Pủa from Sơn La Province to sell to Nông Tài Kinh and Nông Văn Khởi.

From the testimony of Bằng and Thành, the police arrested other people related to their drug smuggling ring and seized a lot of tablets, cash and guns.

All defendants confessed they colluded with others, repeatedly traded and successfully transported a huge amount of drugs from Sơn La Province to Cao Bằng Province. A total of 492 packages of heroin and many tablets had been transported. — VNS