Life sentence for drug trafficking
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An Australian woman was jailed for life and her sister was handed a four-year prison sentence by a court in Vietnam today after they were found guilty of trafficking drugs. Phan Thi Ngoc Phuong, 25, was handed a life sentence by the Ho Chi Minh City People’s Court despite demands by prosecutors that she receive the death penalty, Australian consular officials said. Prosecutors had also asked that her 14-year-old sister Phan Ngoc Viet Phi be jailed for between eight and 10 years. No criminal proceedings were brought against their youngest sister, Phan Ngoc Viet Chau, 12, because Vietnamese law prohibits prosecution of people under the age of 14. The trio, of Vietnamese origin, were stopped at Ho Chi Minh City’s Tan Son Nhat airport as they boarded a flight to Sydney on November 1 last year. The two younger sisters were caught carrying 656 grams of heroin concealed in packages beneath their clothing. Phuong told police that she received $US50,000 ($A75,600) plus expenses from a woman in Sydney to transport the heroin from Vietnam to Australia, according to state media. Chau was released the following week into the care of relatives because of her age, but her two elder sisters were kept in police custody. A clerk at the Ho Chi Minh City People’s Court said Chau would now be allowed to return to Australia. The two sisters have 15 days to lodge an appeal, which must then be heard within 90 days. Vietnam has some of the toughest drug laws in the world. More : theage.com.au |