The Appeal Court yesterday denied a Vietnamese drug dealer’s appeal to lower her sentence of eight years in prison and a fine of 15 million riel ($3,750), meted out by the lower court for trafficking 91.6 grams of methamphetamine in Kratie in 2016.
Ngun Thy Vien, 27, said: “I admit my wrongdoings and ask the court to please reduce my punishment as I have an elderly mother who is not looked after by anyone.
“As for the drugs, I took it from Phnom Penh for resale. I have been doing this for only a year,” said the accused.
Prosecutor Nget Sarath told the court that the accused admitted to committing the crime as she was caught in the act.
“Trafficking in methamphetamine is punishable under drug control laws. So I ask that the sentence meted out by Kratie Provincial Court be upheld,” he said.
However, in seeking clemency, Ngun’s lawyer, Lor Kim Ngec, told the court that his client had admitted to the crime and has not caused any problem during her detention.
According to police records, on August 12, 2016, a Snuol district police operation resulted in the arrest of Sun Ponra, 32, and the seizure of five packets of methamphetamine weighing 12.20 grams at Kratie province’s Phum Kbal Snuol.
After his arrest, Ponra led police to Ngun, who was subsequently arrested together with 27 packets of methamphetamine weighing 91,60 grams.
The Kratie Provincial Court, which pronounced the sentence on her on January 30, 2017, also meted out two years imprisonment and a fine of 4 million riel on Ponra, who was accused of “illicit drug trafficking” in accordance with Article 40 of the drug control laws.
