Death sentence upheld in drug trafficking case

20/03/2009

VietNamNet Bridge - The Ho Chi Minh City-based People’s Supreme Court on March 19 upheld a ruling by the first instance court that had handed down a death sentence to a drug trafficker from Binh Phuoc province.

Luu Van Tuong, 44, was caught red handed on September 13, 2008 by the Tay Ninh provincial police while carrying more than 3.4kg of heroin from Cambodia to Vietnam via the Trans-Asia Highway. Police found 10 packages of solid substance kept inside a carton which was later identified as heroin.

Tuong confessed that a Cambodian national named Bon had hired him to transport the carton to Vietnam at a cost of VND50 million. He also said that he had received VND32 million from Bon’s wife to successfully carry a box of heroin to Vietnam in August 2008.

In the court room, the jury rejected Tuong’s petitions, upheld the first instance court’s ruling and fined him an additional VND30 million.

VietNamNet/VOV