A Kenyan woman has been sentenced to death in Vietnam, a country known for enforcing some of the world’s strictest drug laws.
According to reports from the Asian nation, the woman was found guilty of trafficking over 2kg of drugs. Identified only as Nduta, she was apprehended at Tân Sơn Nhất International Airport, which serves Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam’s most populous city.
Vietnamese authorities revealed that Nduta had been hired by a man in Kenya to transport a suitcase to Laos in July 2023. The suitcase was reportedly intended for delivery to a woman in Laos, after which Nduta was expected to return with unspecified ‘goods’.
For her role in the transaction, the Kenyan received a payment of $1,300 (approximately Ksh167,895 at current exchange rates) from her employer in Kenya.
According to the indictment, the Kenyan man who employed Nduta would also cover her plane tickets. The indictment revealed that Nduta travelled through several countries starting on July 7, eventually transiting through Tân Sơn Nhất Airport in Ho Chi Minh City on July 14.
Due to a delay in her flight’s arrival, airport staff advised Nduta to complete the necessary procedures for entering Vietnam so they could assist her in booking a flight to Laos.
However, during the immigration check, authorities discovered over 2 kilograms of drugs concealed in her suitcase. During her court appearance, Nduta claimed she was unaware of the drugs when she received the suitcase.
Prosecutors countered this assertion, arguing it was an attempt to evade accountability for her actions, insisting that she must bear responsibility for the drug trafficking.
On Thursday, Nduta was sentenced to death. In Vietnam, individuals sentenced to death for drug offences face a comprehensive legal process before execution.
After sentencing, the case is reviewed by the Supreme People’s Court and the Supreme People’s Procuracy, which have up to two months to decide on any extraordinary appeals. The convicted person has seven days to petition the State President for clemency. If these avenues do not result in a reprieve, the court schedules the execution.
The duration between sentencing and execution varies, depending on the specifics of each case and the time taken for legal reviews and clemency considerations.
Vietnam is known for having some of the strictest drug laws globally, with penalties for drug trafficking ranging from long prison terms to capital punishment, depending on the severity of the offence.
