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Thai Student Sentenced to Death in Vietnam
- 23 Year Old Preeyanooch Phuttharaksa Sentenced to Death
Chiangrai Times– A court in Ho Chi Minh City sentenced 23 year old Thai college studenton Tuesday for her role in a methamphetamine ring that spans two continents.
Preeyanooch admitted in court that she flew as far as Togo and Benin to help several African men smuggle 3 kilograms of the drug into Vietnam last year.
After meeting a Nigerian known only as Nalin at a Bangkok shopping mall, Phuttharaksa said she agreed in January 2011 to make the delivery for US$1,572, plus $1,000 for expenses.
In October, she flew from Thailand to Togo, and then hopped on a bus to Benin to pick up the shipment from two men.
Later that month, after layovers in Casablanca and Doha, Phuttharaksa arrived with the illegal suitcase in Ho Chi Minh City. Customs officials at Tan Son Nhat International Airport arrested her upon discovering the methamphetamine.
Phuttharaksa is believed to be part of a transnational drug trafficking ring run by Africans in Vietnam who recruit schoolgirls.
Before her arrest, Phuttharaksa had sneaked drugs into Vietnam twice, according to the indictment.
Previously, on June 20, 23-year-old Vietnamese student Tran Ha Duy got death penalty in a court for her involvement in a transnational drug trafficking ring run by foreigners.
Thani Thongpakdi, Thai foreign ministry spokesperson, said upon learning about the court verdict, a Thai consular official in Ho Chi Minh City sought permission from the Vietnamese authorities to meet Ms Preeyanooch to provide necessary legal assistance and pledged to exhaust all legal means to help the condemned girl.
Nigerians in Thailand a Mockery of a Nation
Journalism lecturer Dr Ndaeyo Uko has revealed unbeknownst activities of some Nigerians in Bangkok. In his article titled; Nigerians in Thailand- Nigerian Village squire, he maintained according to Embassy sources in Bangkok that 99 per cent of Nigerians who came to Thailand and, in fact, who live in that country, went there on drug-related business. Read More…