Key facts
- Eleven people were sentenced to death in Vietnam for drug trafficking.
- The case involved 227 defendants and stemmed from flight attendants carrying drugs in toothpaste tubes.
- The drugs were smuggled from France into Vietnam disguised as consumer goods.
- The trafficking network utilized encrypted messaging and illicit bank accounts.
- At least 20 other defendants received life sentences.
A court in Vietnam has sentenced 11 individuals to death in connection with one of the country's largest drug trafficking operations. The case involved a total of 227 defendants, with prison sentences ranging from 18 months to life imprisonment. The investigation began in March 2023 when four Vietnam Airlines flight attendants, arriving from Paris, were apprehended carrying over 10 kilograms of drugs concealed within 157 toothpaste tubes. Authorities determined the women had unknowingly transported the narcotics.
Investigators uncovered a transnational trafficking network led by Ha Danh Nam, who allegedly arranged for drugs to be brought from France to Vietnam. The network smuggled narcotics disguised as consumer goods, including dietary supplements, laundry detergent, mouthwash, and coffee, using encrypted messaging platforms and bank accounts registered under false names. Prosecutors stated that transactions linked to the network were worth nearly 29 trillion Vietnamese dong ($1.1 billion).
The court found defendants played varying roles, with penalties imposed according to the seriousness of their involvement. Around 20 other defendants received life sentences for illegal drug activities. Vietnam is one of 53 countries that retain the death penalty, though the government has proposed abolishing it for six offenses, including drug trafficking, in a revision to its criminal code.