NATION'S BIGGEST DRUG TRIAL IN HCMC

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 HANOI 000243

SIPDIS

STATE FOR EAP/BCLTV; INL/AAE

E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: SNAR KCRM PINS VM CNARC
SUBJECT: NATION'S BIGGEST DRUG TRIAL IN HCMC

Refs: A. 03 Hanoi 01885 B. 03 Hanoi 01504


1. (U) Summary: Vietnam's state-controlled media gave
prominent coverage to the trial for what was described as
Vietnam's "largest drug case ever." The trial concluded on
January 24, with the Ho Chi Minh City municipal People's
Court handing down seventeen death sentences, ten life
imprisonments and other lengthy prison terms. The case also
gained prominence due to the unusual amount of heroin
trafficked (823.9 kilograms - although much less was
actually seized) and the fact that one of the key defendants
was a senior counternarcotics police officer in Nghe An
Province. Ho Chi Minh City is a drug "hotspot," especially
for consumption. End Summary.

--------------
CASE BACKGROUND
--------------


2. (U) According to C-17, Quang Tri provincial police
(working at C-17's direction) picked up key elements in the
case in late 2003 via the initial seizure of 70 kilograms of
heroin from a truck crossing Lao Bao border gate (reftels).
Drugs from Laos enter the central provinces and find their
way on to HCMC for consumption, said a C-17 official. To
date, according to Judge Nguyen Duc Sau, this is the biggest
drug case ever in Vietnam, with 29 suspects arrested and 18
others still at large. On January 24, HCMC People's Court
handed down seventeen death sentences, ten life sentences
and other long prison sentences to the suspects in the case.
These defendants were convicted of trafficking about 823.9
kilograms of heroin. Ringleaders Nguyen Van Hai and Tran
Van Le (Le was former head of the Tuong Duong District anti-
drug police in Nghe An Province),trafficked 508.3 kilograms
and 198.2 kilograms of heroin respectively.

--------------
HO CHI MINH CITY -- A TRUE "HOTSPOT"
--------------


3. (U) Ho Chi Minh City (HCMC) is not only the country's
hotspot for heroin, but also for amphetamine-type stimulants
(ATS),according to the Ministry of Public Security's
Counternarcotics Department (MPS-C17). The city "usually
witnesses huge cases," said C17. Below are the major cases
from HCMC in 2004:

-- On March 30, the HCMC People's Court handed down four
death sentences and eight sentences of life in prison, in
addition to seven other sentences of varying length in a
case involving the trafficking of more than 22 kilograms of
heroin from August 1999 to April 2002;

-- HCMC People's Court began on April 20 the trial of a
biggest-ever case of Ecstasy trafficking in Vietnam, known
as the Hanh Su case. The defendants were charged with
trafficking 14,200 "thuoc lac" (MDMA) pills;

-- On May 19, the HCMC People's Court sentenced Tran Thi
Ngoc Yen, Nguyen Ngoc Vuong (Yen's husband) and Huynh Kim
Ngan to death for illicit drug trafficking. Three other
defendants received life, 20 and 17 years' imprisonment on
the same charge in that case;

-- On June 15, the HCMC People Supreme Court upheld four
death sentences and increased punishment from life
imprisonment to death for other five defendants involved in
the Minh `Sut' drug ring. In total, nine of 11 defendants
in this case received death sentences. The ring (in
conjunction with a number of overseas Vietnamese in Japan)
had trafficked 36 kilograms of heroin to Japan via air and
sea routes;

-- During the year, HCMC Police also cracked down on two
drug rings led by Tran Xuan Ha, Hoang Trong Hung and Tran
Huy Cong from Nghe An Province. Heroin was smuggled in from
Laos to the central provinces and further transported to
HCMC. The police arrested 20 suspects and seized 20
kilograms of heroin and other evidence. The rings had
allegedly shipped over 350 kilograms of heroin to HCMC;

-- On October 15, the HCMC People's Supreme Court confirmed
the death sentences for six men involved in illegal drug
trafficking. Between 2001 and 2003, the ring had made 32
shipments, trafficking more than 103 kilograms of heroin and
606 ecstasy pills from Cambodia into Vietnam through border
gates in Tay Ninh Province;

-- On November 3, HCMC People's Court sentenced one
Vietnamese-Australian to death and two others to life in
prison on charges of drug trafficking from HCMC to
Australia. Two local residents involved in the case were
given 20- and 16-year imprisonments;

-- On January 10, 2005, the HCMC People's Court handed down
death sentences to six drug dealers at the conclusion of a
five-day trial. The defendants were charged with
trafficking more than 2.8 kilograms of heroin, 2,430 pills
and 8,160 ml. of liquid narcotics.
--------------
COMMENT
--------------


4. (SBU) Demand for drugs in Vietnam is concentrated in
cities, especially Ho Chi Minh City. The string of large
cases in 2004, culminating in this month's mass trial with
its 17 death sentences, demonstrates that the GVN is making
at least some effort to tackle the problem. It will still
be some time, however, before the GVN is willing or capable
to engage in the kinds of complex international
investigations necessary to roll up entire supply chains
rather than just mid-level distributors and street-level
addicts. To our knowledge, despite DEA's repeated offers to
provide resources and assistance, MPS has made no attempt to
expand any domestic investigation to identify those regional
trafficker organizations responsible for manufacturing,
supplying and transporting the heroin and ATS smuggled into
HCMC for distribution.

MARINE