Carrying 8 heroin cakes to Vietnam, Lao citizen sentenced to life in prison

(Baonghean.vn) -On August 25, Nghe An Provincial People's Court held the first instance trial of Vu Giong Po (born 1980), residing in Vieng Thong, Bolykhamxay, Lao PDR, for the crime of "Illegal transportation of narcotics".

According to the indictment, while buying and selling cattle, Vu Giong Po met Tong Cay Vang (Laotian, address unknown). On the evening of December 23, 2016, Tong Cay Vang hired Po to deliver a bag of clothes from Nong Het (Laos) to Nam Can commune, Ky Son, Nghe An for 300 USD and 1,000 Thai baht. Vang gave Po 300 USD in advance.

Vu Giong Po at the trial. Photo: Nhu Binh

When Po followed the forest road to Tien Tieu village area (Nam Can commune, Ky Son), he was discovered by Nghe An border guards and confiscated 8 heroin cakes in the bag Po was carrying.

At the trial, Vu Giong Po said he was tricked by Tong Cai Vang and did not know it was heroin, and hoped to receive leniency from Vietnamese law.

Considering that Vu Giong Po is an ethnic minority with limited legal awareness, and during the investigation and at trial confessed honestly and repented, the panel sentenced Po to life in prison.

Nhu Binh