Death penalty for man who went to Laos to smuggle drugs to Vietnam

On May 7, the People's Court of Nghe An province opened a first-instance criminal trial against defendant Giong Chua Mua (born 1987), residing in Nam Can commune, Ky Son district, for the crime of "Illegal drug trafficking".

Around the beginning of June 2019, while translating for a Laotian patient at a hospital in Vinh City, Mua met Tuan and Nam (address unknown). Through conversation, Tuan and Nam asked Mua if there were many drugs for sale in Laos, and if they could bring them to Vietnam to sell, they would buy them. These two people ordered 9kg of crystal meth (4,000 USD/1kg) and 1kg of Ketamine for 10,000 USD. Mua agreed and asked for his phone number to inform them later.

Defendant Giong Chua Mua. Photo: Tran Vu

After going to Laos, Mua met Tinh Vang (a Laotian) and gave Tuan and Nam's phone numbers to this man to contact to discuss drug trading. On the morning of June 10, 2019, Tinh Vang called Mua to inform him that he had bought drugs. At the same time, he told Mua to come to Vietnam to discuss drug trading with customers. In the afternoon of the same day, Tinh Vang said that the drugs had arrived at Thanh Thuy Border Gate (Thanh Chuong District) and invited Mua to go with him and would be paid 20 million VND.

To have a means of transporting the “goods”, on the morning of June 11, 2019, Mua, Tuan and Nam went to buy a motorbike. Then, Tinh Vang showed Mua where to get the backpack containing drugs in the area near Thanh Thuy border gate. After getting the goods, Mua hid them in a nearby cemetery, waiting for the opportunity to deliver the goods.

At 3am on June 12, 2019, Tuan called Mua and Vang to deliver drugs to him. Meeting Tuan and Nam on the roadside, Mua and Vang brought the drugs to the car to check the goods.

After looking at the drugs, Tuan told Mua to get out of the car to discuss the matter with Tinh Vang. Mua brought the drugs down and stood outside the car. At this moment, the police checked and Mua ran away. After a while, Mua fell down and was arrested by the police with the evidence. The remaining subjects quickly fled.

In court, Giong Chua Mua testified that because of difficult circumstances and poverty, he took the risk of selling drugs with Vang. The defendant asked for a way to live and rebuild his life.

The panel of judges determined that in this case, although the defendant confessed honestly and committed the crime for the first time, due to the extremely large amount of drugs, a corresponding penalty was needed. Considering the case as a whole, the court sentenced Giong Chua Mua to death for the crime of illegal drug trafficking.