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Vientiane Court Hands Down Life Sentence, Death Penalty in Latest Drug, Firearms Cases

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The Vientiane Provincial People’s Court has sentenced four defendants in separate criminal cases involving drug trafficking, drug possession, and illegal firearms, handing down penalties that include one life sentence and one death penalty.

According to the Vientiane Provincial Public Prosecutor’s Office, the verdicts were issued on 31 December 2025.

In one case, Kong, a 33-year-old farmer from Naphong Village in Hin Heup district, was arrested on 26 February 2025 for trafficking 1,428 methamphetamine tablets. The court sentenced her to 10 years in prison and imposed a fine of LAK 100 million (around USD 4,600).

In a separate ruling, Chang, a 25-year-old farmer from Napatu Village in Meun district, was detained on 3 March 2025 for possessing six methamphetamine tablets. He received a two-year prison sentence and a fine of LAK 10 million (approximately USD 460).

The most severe penalties were issued in a joint case involving Anusone, 32, a labourer from Phon Si Tai Village in Phonhong district, Vientiane Province, and Ton, 43, a labourer from Saka Village in Salavan Province.

The two men were arrested on 11 July 2024 and charged with illegal possession of firearms, drug trafficking, and possession of 43,595 methamphetamine tablets, a small quantity of crystal methamphetamine, one pistol, and 21 rounds of ammunition.

The court sentenced Anusone to life imprisonment and fined him LAK 500 million (over USD 230,000), while Ton received the death penalty.

Part of a Wider Crackdown

The latest rulings follow a series of high-profile drug cases heard by the Vientiane court in recent months.

In September 2025, the court sentenced two defendants to death and one to life imprisonment in one of the province’s largest drug trafficking cases in recent years.

That case involved Yeng Yang, 50, and his wife Maly, 45, farmers from Naxou Village in Kasi District, who were arrested in July 2023 with more than 63,000 methamphetamine tablets. Both were sentenced to death. A third suspect from the same village, found with 12,800 methamphetamine tablets, received a life sentence and a LAK 500 million fine.

During the same period, the court also issued prison sentences in unrelated theft and fraud cases, underscoring a broader judicial push to address serious criminal activity.

Nationwide Drug Seizures Continue

The court verdicts have coincided with large-scale drug enforcement operations across Laos. In recent months, authorities have seized millions of methamphetamine tablets and arrested multiple suspects, including foreign nationals, during raids in provinces such as Bokeo and at Wattay International Airport in Vientiane.

Officials say these cases highlight the government’s continued zero-tolerance approach toward major drug trafficking networks and the illegal possession of weapons, which authorities describe as a serious threat to public safety and social stability.

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