HANOI, June 4 (Xinhua) -- Police of Vietnam's northern province of Son La has detained three local men for transporting and trading illicit drugs, confiscating 20 cakes of heroin and 12,000 pills of the lab-made drug, Vietnam News Agency reported on Tuesday.

The police caught red-handed a 30-year-old man named Mua A Pao from Son La transporting the drugs on Tuesday. Expanding investigation, they arrested two other drug dealers aged 35 and 31, both from the province.

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.