The Ho Chi Minh City People's Court sentenced 227 defendants in a sprawling transnational drug trafficking case involving narcotics transported from France to Vietnam, one of the country's largest drug prosecutions in recent years, on September 3.
The court imposed 11 death sentences and 19 life terms. The remaining defendants received penalties ranging from an 18-month suspended sentence to 27 years in prison for a range of drug-related and other offenses.
Ha Danh Nam, who remains wanted by authorities, was sentenced to death for the illegal trading of narcotics. Hoang Sy Thang and Bui Van Anh were sentenced to life imprisonment for the illegal transportation of narcotics.
Among the high-profile defendants was Andrea Aybar Carmona, widely known as An Tay, a Spanish national who has worked as a model in Vietnam. She received one year in prison for illegal possession of narcotics and seven years for organizing the illegal use of narcotics. The combined sentence was eight years.
Nguyen Do Truc Phuong, popularly known online as "Co tien tu thien," or the "charity fairy," was sentenced to six years in prison for organizing the illegal use of narcotics. Vu Hai Anh received seven years for the same offense.
Singer Nguyen Trung Hieu, known professionally as Chi Dan, was sentenced to seven years in prison for organizing illegal drug use. His brother, Nguyen Trung Tin, received the same sentence.
Other defendants were convicted of offenses including the illegal transportation and trading of narcotics, organizing or possessing drugs for illegal use, failure to report a crime, concealing a crime, unlawful possession of property, and the use of forged documents.
Court describes network as exceptionally serious
The trial panel said the defendants' actions posed a particularly serious threat to society, undermining public order and security, and creating conditions for other forms of crime.
According to the court, members of the network established an organized transnational operation on an exceptionally large scale. Narcotics were carefully concealed and transported from France into Vietnam through Tan Son Nhat International Airport before being distributed to buyers.
Authorities said the network handled tens of kilograms of synthetic drugs.
During the trial, several defendants denied the charges or sought reduced sentences. Some admitted involvement in drug trading but challenged prosecutors' calculations of the quantities involved, arguing that counterfeit or substandard products had been returned and should not have been included.
Hoang Sy Thang told the court that he had been coerced into giving statements while in detention. Vu Hai Anh denied that he and Nguyen Do Truc Phuong had organized the illegal use of drugs on March 16, 2024.
The court, however, said testimony from Truc Phuong and other people involved in the case, together with physical evidence seized by investigators, provided sufficient grounds to convict Vu Hai Anh. It said his lack of cooperation meant he was not eligible for mitigating circumstances.
The judges also addressed submissions from defense lawyers to Ho Chi Minh City police alleging shortcomings by investigators. The court acknowledged that some procedural shortcomings had occurred but found that they did not affect the substance of the investigation, the nature of the case or the defendants' criminal liability.
The panel said strict punishment for serious offenses should be balanced with leniency for defendants who admitted their wrongdoing, expressed remorse and took steps to mitigate the consequences of their actions.
In the case of Andrea Aybar Carmona, the court found that she had kept cannabis and methamphetamine at her apartment.
She was also held criminally responsible for 13.758 grams of ketamine that she found at the apartment and later handed to Nguyen Phuong Dong, according to the verdict.
The court also found that Le Thi Trieu, Nguyen Trung Hieu, Nguyen Trung Tin, Hoa Thi Hong, and Thai Thi Huyen organized the illegal use of narcotics on Nov. 4, 2024, at the residences of Trieu and Huyen on Cong Hoa Street in what was formerly Ward 4 of Tan Binh District.
According to the verdict, Hieu invited Tin, Huyen, Trieu, and Hong to use drugs, and the group agreed to split the cost of purchasing the narcotics.
Eleven death sentences, 19 life terms
The court sentenced 11 defendants to death, including Ha Danh Nam, Le Thang Anh Tu, Le Nguyen Gia Bao, Nguyen Huy Hoang, Vo Hoang Minh, Tran Kien An, Pham Anh Khoa, Nguyen Xuan Hieu, Trinh Bao Quan, Pham Duc Duy, and Nguyen Thanh Nhan.
They were convicted of one or more offenses, including illegal drug trading, illegal drug possession, organizing the illegal use of narcotics, and using forged documents.
Another 19 defendants received life sentences for offenses including the illegal trading and transportation of narcotics and organizing illegal drug use.
