Kenyan woman sentenced to death in Vietnam for trafficking cocaine
Macharia was arrested in July 2023 when the drugs, valued at approximately Sh27 million on the international market, were discovered hidden in her luggage.
A Kenyan woman has been sentenced to death in HO Chi Minh City (HCMC) in Vietnam after she was found guilty of trafficking over 2kgs of cocaine through Tan Son Nhat International Airport.
Margaret Nduta Macharia, 37, received the sentence from the HCMC People’s Court on Thursday for trafficking the drugs which were found in her suitcase.
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Macharia was arrested in July 2023 when the drugs, valued at approximately Sh27 million on the international market, were discovered hidden in her luggage.
According to court documents, Nduta was hired by a Kenyan man named John to transport the suitcase to Laos, Southeast Asia.
The suitcase was supposed to be received by a woman, and Macharia was supposed to bring back "goods" from the woman.
She was paid $1,300 (around Sh167,700), and her travel expenses were covered.
Macharia's journey included transits through Addis Ababa in Ethiopia and Doha in Qatar before reaching Ho Chi Minh City on July 14.
But during immigration checks at Tan Son Nhat Airport, authorities found 2.34 kilos of cocaine concealed in the suitcase.
While Macharia claimed she was unaware of the drugs, prosecutors argued she was attempting to cover up her involvement.
HCMC is a particularly attractive transit point for smugglers because of its proximity to neighbouring Cambodia.
Under Vietnamese law, drug trafficking carries severe penalties, including life imprisonment or the death penalty, especially for large quantities of narcotics.
The country is known for having some of the toughest drug laws globally, with traffickers of large drug amounts facing the death penalty.
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