A court in Ho Chi Minh City sentenced a Nigerian man to life in prison for leading a drug-smuggling ring

A court in Ho Chi Minh City sentenced a Nigerian man to life in prison for leading a drug-smuggling ring, authorities said Thursday.
Ben Blessed, 31, was caught 'illegally transporting drugs' and received a life sentence after a six-day trial, the Ho Chi Minh City People's Court said.
Three of his accomplices, including two Nigerian men and Blessed9s Vietnamese girlfriend, Pham Thi Thanh Trang, 33, received 20 to 30 years in jail.
According to the indictment, ringleader Blessed, 31, hired several Vietnamese women to smuggle 693 grams of heroin from foreign countries, including Pakistan, into Vietnam, from where the drug was sent to neighbouring countries, including China.
Police said they caught Trang carrying four packets of heroin hidden in a pair of sandals and a notebook in July 2009 at a hotel in Ho Chi Minh City.
Trang told police that the sandals and the notebook belonged to Blessed.
Police arrested Blessed and Nigerian citizens Ozogu John, 31, and Anyanwu Chima Stanley, 33.
During a search of Stanley's house, police discovered more than 1,000 grams of heroin in other sandals.
Several Nigerian men have faced trial in Vietnam for drug smuggling over the past few years. The latest death sentence was handed over to Michael Ikenna Nduanya, 34 in March.