- On September 3, 2025, a Vietnam court sentenced 11 people to death and jailed over 200 others for trafficking illegal drugs in toothpaste tubes from France, marking one of the largest mass convictions in a single drug case.
- The court found that the drug-smuggling operation involved Vietnamese flight attendants who unknowingly carried 8.3 kg of MDMA and nearly 3 kg of ketamine concealed in 157 toothpaste tubes from Paris on flight VN10.
- The ringleader, Ha Danh Nam, was tried in absentia and was among those sentenced to death, having organized shipments of drugs hidden in toothpaste tubes.
- In early January 2023, Ha Danh Nam hired Hoang Sy Thang to receive parcels containing narcotics concealed inside toothpaste tubes, which were sent from France.
- The trial, which opened on August 17, 2025, involved over 120 lawyers and was conducted both in person and online due to the large number of defendants.
A Vietnam court has sentenced 11 individuals to death and imprisoned over 200 others in a landmark drug trafficking case involving toothpaste tubes. The operation, which authorities uncovered in early 2023, is linked to a network that trafficked nearly $1.1 billion worth of narcotics.12
The Ho Chi Minh City People's Court delivered the verdict on September 3, marking one of the largest mass convictions in Vietnam's history. Among the 227 defendants, 19 received life sentences, while others faced terms ranging from 18 months to 29 years. The ringleader, Ha Danh Nam, was tried in absentia and is still at large.4
The drug smuggling operation involved Vietnam Airlines flight attendants who unknowingly transported drugs concealed in 327 toothpaste tubes. Customs officials discovered 11 kg of MDMA and ketamine during a routine baggage scan at Tan Son Nhat Airport. Investigators concluded that the flight attendants had no knowledge of the drugs, as they were merely paid to carry consumer goods.
The case, known as VN10, has been described as the largest drug case in Vietnam's history, with nearly 600 kg of narcotics seized and over 2,700 individuals implicated across 477 related cases. The trial involved extensive legal proceedings, with over 120 defense lawyers participating in a case that spanned more than 350 pages of indictment.3
Vietnam's stringent drug laws often result in severe penalties, including the death penalty for trafficking offenses, reflecting the government's ongoing battle against drug-related crime.
“The ringleader, Ha Danh Nam, was tried in absentia and remains at large, with four defendants still subject to arrest warrants. The case, dubbed VN10, is described as the largest in Vietnam's history, with seizures of nearly 600 kg of narcotics and transaction flows traced at VND29 trillion.”
VnExpress International
