08 July 2003 :

Three drug traffickers were sentenced to death by the People's Court in Vietnam's northern province of Ha Tay as part of the government's long-running campaign to wipe out the narcotics trade, court officials said. The trio was found guilty of trafficking nearly 40 litres of liquid diazepam, a central nervous system anti-depressant, from Laos between 2000 and 2002, a court official said. Three other members of the network, which was broken up by police in July, 2002, were jailed for life. Seven others were also given sentences of up to 22 years in prison.