On the morning of November 22, the Ha Tinh Provincial People’s Court held a first-instance trial for Xeng and Sisavanh Yongyaerlor (both born in 1988, residents of Khamkeut District, Bolikhamsai Province, Laos) on charges of illegal drug transportation.
According to the indictment, at 9 a.m. on May 9, 2024, authorities inspected a Lao-registered car at the Cau Treo International Border Gate in Ha Trai Village (Son Kim 1 Commune, Huong Son District, Ha Tinh Province) as it completed entry procedures from Laos into Vietnam. The vehicle, driven by Xeng with Sisavanh Yongyaerlor as a passenger, was found to contain a hidden compartment beneath the floor. Inside, authorities discovered several bags of drugs, including compressed white powder, pink tablets, and white crystalline substances.
Xeng admitted that all the seized items were narcotics, which he was hired to transport from Laos to Vietnam by a Laotian man named Vang Pao Vang, a resident of Khamkeut District, Bolikhamsai Province, Laos. Xeng was promised $28,000 for the transportation and enlisted Sisavanh Yongyaerlor to assist, offering him $14,000 as compensation.
Testing confirmed the total weight of the drugs was over 67 kilograms, consisting of 17,959.3 grams of Methamphetamine and MDMA, 20,038.7 grams of Ketamine, 10,490.2 grams of Heroin, and 19,509.9 grams of Methamphetamine.
At the trial, both defendants confessed to their crimes. Based on the evidence, legal regulations, and both aggravating and mitigating factors, the court sentenced Xeng and Sisavanh Yongyaerlor to death for the illegal transportation of narcotics.
