HANOI, June 19 (Xinhua) -- A Vietnamese court on Wednesday sentenced two local men to death for transporting and trading illicit drug, Vietnam News Agency reported.

The People's Court of northern Lang Son province gave the death penalty to Le Hoang Thang, 38, and Luu Van Son, 33, both from northern Thai Nguyen province.

In July 2018, the duo was caught red-handed in Lang Son's Chi Lang district transporting 10 cakes of heroin weighing nearly 3.5 kg.

They confessed that they were asked by the drug ringleader Nong Thuy Van, 38, to buy the drug in central Nghe An province and transport it to Lang Son. The police are hunting down the ringleader.

According to Vietnamese law, those convicted of smuggling over 600 grams of heroin or more than 2.5 kg of methamphetamine are punishable by death. Making or trading 100 grams of heroin or 300 grams of other illegal drugs also faces the death penalty.