Hieu Trung Vu, 37, a previously convicted felon and illegal alien from Vietnam, was sentenced on July 30 in U.S. District Court to 60 months in prison for drug trafficking from a Georgetown Airbnb and unlawful possession of two firearms, according to an announcement by U.S. Attorney Jeanine Ferris Pirro.
Pirro said, “This defendant showed a complete disregard for our laws and our borders, yet he chose to arm himself with weapons and narcotics. A previously convicted felon, he continued to put American communities at risk by trafficking fentanyl and methamphetamines. This illegal alien is exactly the type of offender the Trump administration is working tirelessly to remove from our country, and after serving his sentence, he will be deported.”
Vu pleaded guilty on March 17 before Judge Amit P. Mehta to one count of possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine, cocaine, amphetamine, cocaine base, and fentanyl; as well as one count of unlawful possession of a firearm and ammunition by a convicted felon. Due to his immigration status, Vu will be subject to deportation after completing his prison term.
According to court documents, police responded on December 4 following an emergency call about narcotics at a short-term rental in the 1400 block of Wisconsin Avenue NW in Georgetown. Officers obtained a search warrant for the property where they recovered two handguns from a backpack in the bedroom along with narcotics—including methamphetamine, cocaine base (crack), amphetamine—and paraphernalia. A debit card bearing Vu’s name was also found at the scene. Laboratory testing confirmed the substances included fentanyl among other drugs; one firearm was loaded.
Vu has a previous felony conviction from Fairfax County in 2022 for possession with intent to manufacture or sell controlled substances; he received five years’ imprisonment with more than two years suspended.
The investigation was conducted by the Metropolitan Police Department with assistance from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives Washington Field Division. The case was prosecuted under the Make D.C. Safe and Beautiful initiative by Assistant U.S. Attorneys David B. Liss and Caelainn Carney.