Archive · 3 Sep 2026
Vietnam Court Sentences 11 to Death in Major Drug Case
A court in Vietnam sentenced 11 people to death for trafficking drugs.
The case began when four flight attendants arrived from France with drugs hidden in toothpaste tubes.
The women reportedly did not know the drugs were there.
Investigators then found a larger network moving drugs into Vietnam.
The network allegedly used online messages, other people’s bank accounts and delivery services.
In total, 227 people were accused in the case.
At least 20 other defendants were sentenced to life in prison.
Vietnam is considering ending the death penalty for some crimes, including drug trafficking, but that change has not taken effect.
The Ho Chi Minh City People’s Court sentenced 11 defendants to death for drug trafficking.
The case involved 227 accused people, with at least 20 others receiving life sentences.
The investigation began after four Vietnam Airlines flight attendants carried more than 10 kilograms of drugs in 157 toothpaste tubes.
Authorities said the attendants did not know the toothpaste tubes contained narcotics.
Prosecutors said a transnational network used encrypted platforms, other people’s bank accounts and delivery services to distribute drugs in southern Vietnam.
- Who
- The Ho Chi Minh City People’s Court sentenced 11 defendants; 227 people were accused in total.
- What
- The court issued 11 death sentences in a major drug-trafficking case and gave at least 20 others life sentences.
- When
- The investigation began in March 2023; the verdicts were reported on September 3.
- Where
- The drugs were discovered at Tan Son Nhat airport in Ho Chi Minh City after arriving from Paris, and prosecutors said the network distributed drugs across southern Vietnam.
- Why
- Authorities said the case uncovered a transnational network that smuggled narcotics disguised as consumer goods into Vietnam.
- Court
- Ho Chi Minh City People’s Court
- Death sentences
- 11 defendants
- Total accused
- 227 people
- Life sentences
- At least 20 defendants
- Drugs discovered
- More than 10 kilograms
- Concealment method
- Drugs hidden in 157 toothpaste tubes
- Flight attendants
- Four Vietnam Airlines attendants carried the tubes from Paris
- Potential legal change
- Vietnam has proposed abolishing the death penalty for six offences, including drug trafficking, but the proposal is not yet in effect