The Ho Chi Minh City People’s Court conducted the first-instance trial and sentenced six defendants for drug trafficking and transportation offenses on December 16.
The court handed down death sentences to Chu Ba Chung, (born 1984 in Quang Ninh, a Canadian national), Truong Ngoc Mai (born 1997, residing in Ho Chi Minh City), and Tran Kim Loan (born 1972, residing in Ho Chi Minh City) for "Illegal Drug Trafficking." Nguyen Vu Khai Hoang (born 1995, residing in Binh Dinh) was also sentenced to death for "Illegal Drug Transportation."
Two other defendants, Mai Thi Ngan (born 1994, residing in Bac Lieu) and Do Thi Minh Tam (born 1985, residing in Ho Chi Minh City), received life imprisonment for "Illegal Drug Trafficking."
In early 2019, Chu Ba Chung agreed to act as a "drug distributor" for an individual named Trai, whose identity remains unknown, in Ho Chi Minh City. Chung hired Truong Ngoc Mai to receive and store drugs delivered by Trai’s associates at her residence, paying her VND10 million per week.
Trai regularly supplied Chung and Mai with 5-30kg of drugs, including methamphetamine, ketamine, MDMA, and heroin. Mai would store the drugs and deliver them to buyers based on information Trai provided to Chung, such as the buyer’s contact details, the quantity, and the type of drugs ordered.
On September 13, 2022, Nguyen Vu Khai Hoang drove to a location near Bo Y Border Gate in Ngoc Hoi District, Kon Tum Province, to collect a suitcase containing drugs from an individual named Thach, whose identity remains unconfirmed. Hoang was promised VND100 million for transporting the drugs to Ho Chi Minh City.
On September 15, 2022, Hoang delivered drugs to Mai, including 29,870.89 grams of methamphetamine (30 packages) and 10,444.98 grams of MDMA (25 packages). After receiving the shipment, Mai informed Chung of the type and quantity of drugs.
On September 16, 2022, while delivering 12 packages of methamphetamine totaling 11,862.86 grams, Mai was caught red-handed by police. Following her arrest, authorities apprehended Chung and the other involved individuals.
