10 million VND in exchange for... a life sentence.

Phuc agreed to transport the "goods" for 10 million dong, was caught red-handed, and received a life sentence.

On September 28, the Ho Chi Minh City People's Court held a first-instance trial and sentenced Tran Van Phuc (27 years old, from Nghe An province) to life imprisonment for illegally transporting narcotics.

In court, the prosecutor requested the death penalty for Phuc. The defense lawyer argued that the defendant's circumstances were pitiable; his mother died shortly after he was born, and his adoptive father has also passed away. He currently has a young wife and children, and his low level of education limits his understanding of the law. His family has contributed to the revolution; the sentence proposed by the prosecutor was too harsh...

After deliberation, the panel of judges announced the verdict as stated above.

Defendant Phuc is escorted back to the detention center after the court session. Photo: Hoang Yen

Defendant Phuc is escorted back to the detention center after the court session. Photo: Hoang Yen

According to records, on August 16, 2014, Phuc was caught red-handed by the police while transporting two blocks of heroin.

The examination concluded that the drugs Phuc was transporting were heroin derivatives weighing 703.23 grams, with a purity of over 400 grams.

At the trial, Phuc testified that a Laotian man named Va (whose identity is unknown) paid him 10 million dong to transport the goods from Nghe An to Ho Chi Minh City and deliver them to a couple in Go Vap...

According to Plo.vn