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The People's Court of Ho Chi Minh City issues verdicts for the defendants. |
The trial panel determined that the defendants' significant involvement in drug trafficking is extremely severe, and they are deemed beyond rehabilitation. Between May and July 2020, in HCMC, Dong Nai, and Binh Duong, Le Ho Vu, the ringleader, born in 1987, residing in Ca Mau Province, and 21 accomplices engaged in illicit activities, including possession, transportation, and trafficking of narcotics. They also used forged documents of agencies and organizations and organized illegal drug use.
Hence, the trial panel condemned Le Ho Vu to death for "Illegally transporting narcotics" and "Using forged seals or documents of agencies, organizations." Additionally, 17 accomplices, including three foreign individuals, received death sentences for offenses including "Illegally possessing narcotics," "Illegally trafficking narcotics," "Illegally transporting narcotics," and "Organizing illegal drug use.”
Furthermore, the trial panel sentenced life imprisonment to three defendants, namely Nguyen Quoc Toan, Vo Dang Khoa, and Nguyen Thanh Tung, for the crime of "Illegally transporting narcotics." As for Le Thanh Nghia, born in 2002, since the offense was committed during adolescence, he received a 15-year prison sentence for the crime of "Illegally trafficking narcotics."
According to the charges, on July 19, 2020, the Ministry of Public Security, in collaboration with relevant authorities, conducted an urgent inspection of a container at Tan Cang Cat Lai Port in Cat Lai Ward, Thu Duc City, HCMC. The inspection results indicated that the container purportedly carried granite stones.
Upon closer scrutiny, officials discovered 40 nylon packages containing a white crystalline substance concealed within four shipments of granite stones inside the container, weighing over 39 kg. The substance was identified as Methamphetamine. The confiscated shipment belongs to Kim Soon Sik, a South Korean national.
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The representative of the HCMC People's Procuracy proposes the death penalty for 18 defendants. |
Following the investigation, the police concluded that this is a foreign-influenced network collaborating with individuals in Vietnam to partake in the illegal storage, transportation, and trafficking of narcotics from Cambodia to HCMC. A portion of the narcotics is consumed within the country, while another part is transported abroad (to South Korea) for consumption.
The investigation results show that the defendants have illegally possessed, transported, and trafficked over 216 kg of various types of narcotics. Of this amount, 168 kg of drugs were confiscated, while the remaining quantity was successfully transported and distributed by the defendants.
