Death sentence upheld for student who followed lover into drug trafficking

(Baonghean.vn) - Although the defendant wrote a petition to pardon the death sentence, the Supreme Court of Appeals said that the student's act of leading a drug ring was very serious, with the amount of drugs over 5 cakes, so the death sentence was still upheld.



Defendant Lu Thi Minh

On June 26, the Supreme People's Court of Appeal rejected the appeal and upheld the death sentence for Lu Thi Minh - born in 1982 in Tam Quang commune, Tuong Duong district, for drug trafficking. Before committing the crime, Minh was a university student in Vinh city.

The indictment determined that after finishing high school, Minh fell in love with a man named Nguyen Anh Dung, born in 1959, residing in Ward 3, District 10, Ho Chi Minh City, who was building a bridge and road in the mountainous district of Tuong Duong, even though he knew that this man already had a wife and children. When he realized that his lover was a transnational drug lord, although he was a university student and knew about the harmful effects of drugs, Minh still followed him and became his right-hand man.

After Minh became a university student, Dung rented a beautiful house with full amenities and provided Minh with money to live a lavish life. From here, the female student became the leader of a drug ring from Laos to Vietnam. After receiving money from her lover, Minh invited her younger brother Lu Cao Thuong and some others to bring "white goods" to Saigon. Although she was a student and went to visit her family, this drug ring was discovered by the police. Minh received the death penalty, and her younger brother received a life sentence. (After the ring led by Minh was arrested, Dung fled and is wanted by the law).

Minh believed that he was taken advantage of by his lover, that he was not the ringleader of the ring, and that his death sentence was too harsh. Minh wrote an appeal to reduce his death sentence so that he could have a chance to return home to repay his parents.

However, the panel of judges determined that Minh had received a proper education, so it could not be said that he had poor knowledge and awareness of the law. The investigation agency had evidence that Minh had "laundered" hundreds of millions of dong in profits from drug sales by investing with his uncle in buying gold mining machines. Not only that, Minh also invited his younger brother to join the ring. The amount of drugs bought and sold through the female student was determined to be up to 5.5 cakes (nearly 1.9 kg), while according to regulations, only 100g of heroin or more can be applied the death penalty.

D.P