Vietnam sentences American man to death for heroin

A court in Vietnam has sentenced an American to death for heroin trafficking, a media report said.

The Liberated Saigon newspaper says Jason Dinh, 41, was convicted of trafficking 1 kilogram of heroin at a one-day trial by Ho Chi Minh City's People's Court yesterday.

The paper said today that Dinh was arrested last June after customs officials found the heroin hidden in his underwear as he was boarding a flight from Ho Chi Minh City to Australia.

The report quoted the indictment as saying Dinh was hired by an unidentified man to carry the heroin for USD 30,000. Court officials were not available for comment today.
 

Vietnam has some of the world toughest drug laws, where possessing or trafficking 100 gram of heroin carries the death penalty.