Vietnam opens largest drug trial with 227 defendants, 11 kg in toothpaste

Vietnam's biggest drug trafficking trial opened Monday with 227 defendants in Ho Chi Minh City, tracing back to 11 kilograms of narcotics concealed in toothpaste tubes carried off a flight from France. The case, which the government's news portal Tieng Chuong called the largest by defendant count, is scheduled to run through Sept. 12.

The trial blends in-person and online proceedings, connecting the court's headquarters with Chi Hoa temporary detention center. More than 120 lawyers have been appointed. Eighteen individuals with related rights and obligations were also summoned.

According to the indictment, the defendants face charges under eight categories, including illegal transportation, trading, organization of illegal drug use, possession of narcotics, use of forged documents, failure to report crimes, concealment of crimes, and illegal appropriation of property. Four defendants who are on the run and subject to arrest warrants are being tried in absentia.

The case originated March 16, 2023, when Tan Son Nhat International Airport customs officers flagged suspicious packages in the luggage of four flight attendants who had arrived from France on flight VN10. A search found 327 tubes of toothpaste, 157 of which contained more than 11 kg of drugs. The case was transferred to the Ho Chi Minh City Department of Public Security's Investigation Police Agency, which launched a special probe.

Investigators determined that Ha Danh Nam, also known as "Huu Son," had organized the transportation of six other shipments from France to Vietnam, with drugs concealed in toothpaste tubes and boxes of dietary supplements. Nam allegedly recruited Vietnamese people studying or living in France to collect goods and use international express delivery services to send the drugs to Vietnam.

The expanded probe uncovered multiple networks involved in receiving, transporting, trading and possessing drugs, as well as organizing illegal drug use. Among those charged are singer Nguyen Trung Hieu, known as Chi Dan, and Spanish model and actress Andrea Aybar Carmona, also known as An Tay. Both face charges of organizing illegal drug use and illegal possession of narcotics.

The four flight attendants were not prosecuted. The indictment said they agreed to transport 60 kg of goods from France to Vietnam for Nam at a fee of 6.5 euros ($7.5) per kilogram. Investigators found no evidence they knew the packages contained drugs or that they had communicated or conducted financial transactions with Nam or other members of the networks.

The VN10 case has been classified as an especially serious, large-scale drug trafficking case involving multiple networks and localities, with offenders using sophisticated methods, clearly assigned roles, and electronic transaction tools.