Xeng and Sisavanh Yongyaerlor at the court on November 22, 2024.
Xeng and Sisavanh Yongyaerlor, both 36, were given the sentence at a first-instance trial held in the central province of Ha Tinh on November 22.
According to the indictment released at the court, local police inspected a Lao-registered car at the Cau Treo International Border Gate in Ha Tinh's Huong Son District as it was entering Vietnam. The vehicle, driven by Xeng with Sisavanh Yongyaerlor as a passenger, was found to contain a hidden compartment beneath the floor. Inside, authorities discovered several bags of drugs, including compressed white powder, pink tablets, and white crystalline substances.
Xeng told the police that all the bags contained narcotics, which he was hired to transport from Laos to Vietnam by a Laotian man named Vang Pao Vang in Bolikhamsai Province. Xeng was promised USD28,000 for the transportation and asked Sisavanh Yongyaerlor to assist, offering to pay him USD14,000.
Checking the bags, police found 17,959.3 grams of Methamphetamine and MDMA, 20,038.7 grams of Ketamine, 10,490.2 grams of Heroin, and 19,509.9 grams of Methamphetamine.
Xeng and Sisavanh Yongyaerlor with the seized drugs on September 5, 2024.
At the trial, both defendants confessed to their crimes. Based on the evidence, legal regulations, and both aggravating and mitigating factors, the court sentenced Xeng and Sisavanh Yongyaerlor to death for the illegal transportation of drugs.
