Sentenced to death, foreign man knelt down, clasped hands and begged for life

Tran Vu• July 29, 2023 07:32

(Baonghean.vn) - “Carrying” nearly 3 kg of drugs from Laos to Vietnam, Chu Gia was sentenced to death by the court. Surprisingly, this defendant knelt down, clasped his hands and begged for his life.

On July 28, the People's Court of Nghe An province opened a trial of defendants Chu Gia (born 1996) and Cho Gia (born 1994), both residing in Noong Het district, Xieng Khouang province, Lao PDR, for the crime of "Illegal transportation of narcotics".drug".

According to the indictment, on the evening of February 20, 2023, while Chu Gia and Cho Gia were drinking beer, they met a man who called himself Chay Lau. This man hired both of them to transport drugs to Vietnam for a salary of 5 million Lao Kip each, and the two agreed.

bna_4. ảnh pv.JPG — Two defendants at trial. Photo: Tran Vu

The next afternoon, Chay Lau drove Chu Gia and Cho Gia to get drugs and then headed towards the Laos-Vietnam border area. Due to the bad road, the three of them left their motorbikes behind and walked. Chay Lau went ahead to lead the way and keep an eye out for the two following behind. At this time, Chu Gia was carrying nearly 3kg of drugs on his shoulders, while Cho Gia was carrying more than 2.4kg of drugs.

At 7:45 p.m. the same day, when the three of them crossed the border to Vietnam, Chu Gia and Cho Gia were discovered and caught red-handed by Nghe An Border Guard. Chay Lau alone quickly escaped.

At the trial, through an interpreter, the two defendants admitted to their crimes. Both said that due to difficult circumstances and needing money to buy rice, they agreed to transport drugs from Laos to Vietnam for a fee.

bna_09. ảnh pv.JPG — Defendant Chu Gia knelt down, clasped his hands and begged for his life. The other defendant also knelt down and cried, asking for a lighter sentence. Photo: Tran Vu

When the People's Procuracy of Nghe An province, exercising its right to prosecute at the trial, requested the death penalty, Chu Gia suddenly knelt down, clasped his hands and begged for his life. The remaining defendant also knelt down and cried, asking for a lighter sentence.

The panel of judges determined that the actions of the two defendants violated Vietnamese law. Considering that the amount of drugs the two defendants transported in the case was exceptionally large, the court sentenced Chu Gia to death; Defendant Cho Gia to life in prison for the crime of Illegally transporting drugs.