Man sentenced to 20 years in prison for selling livestock to traffic in drugs.
Driven by addiction and greed, Nguyen Van Cong became a drug trafficker. Notably, the defendant confessed that he secretly obtained a portion of the money from selling livestock belonging to him and his wife to finance his drug dealing activities.
From addiction to drug trafficking
Nguyen Van Cong (born in 1982), residing in Vo Liet commune, Thanh Chuong district, is the eldest of three siblings. With only a 2/12 education, Cong primarily worked manual labor jobs in his hometown. In his youth, he made a mistake when the Thanh Chuong District People's Court sentenced him to 9 months of suspended imprisonment for theft in 2008.
After that setback, the young man decided to turn his life around. After marrying a woman two years younger than him, Cong became diligent in his work, raising three children alongside his wife. Besides farming, they also developed livestock farming to supplement their income. Furthermore, in his free time, he took on other jobs such as cutting acacia trees for hire or hunting in the forest.
During his hunting trips into the forest area bordering Vietnam and Laos, Cong became acquainted with a Laotian man named Long. Knowing that Long possessed drugs, Cong asked for his phone number to stay in contact.
According to the case file, in late April 2024, Nguyen Van Cong called Long to inquire about purchasing 24 million VND worth of drugs. A few days later, Cong rode his motorbike, then walked, to the Khe Kho area, near the Vietnam-Laos border, to buy the drugs.
Here, Cong handed Long 24 million VND. After receiving the money, Long instructed another person via walkie-talkie to deliver the drugs to Cong. Cong then took the drugs home and hid them. To avoid detection by the police, he concealed the drugs in various locations, such as the kitchen, and even hid them inside the charcoal stove.
Because of his drug addiction, Cong took some drugs to the Quoc Mau Temple in Vo Liet commune, Thanh Chuong district, to use. Before leaving, he also carried some drugs intending to sell them to customers. However, just as Cong finished using the drugs and before he could sell them, the police raided the place and arrested him along with over 90 grams of drugs.
During an emergency search of the suspect's residence, the police discovered an additional 30 grams of narcotics. Therefore, the total amount of narcotics for which Nguyen Van Cong is criminally liable in this case is over 121 grams.
The wife was speechless as she saw her husband off to prison.
For the aforementioned actions, Nguyen Van Cong was prosecuted and brought to trial for the crime of illegally trading narcotics. At the recent trial at the Provincial Court, the defendant admitted to the crime as charged in the indictment. The defendant stated that due to addiction, he bought drugs for personal use and to sell for profit.
When questioned by the court about why he went to a spiritual place to use drugs, the defendant stated that he was afraid his wife and children would find out if he used them at home. "I was afraid my family would be upset if they found out I was using drugs," the defendant explained.
Regarding the money used for drug trafficking, the defendant stated that it came from selling livestock. He secretly took a sum of money from the sale of livestock belonging to him and his wife to buy drugs. Regarding the money confiscated by authorities during the house search, the defendant requested the court to consider returning it as it was unrelated to his criminal activities. He also requested the court to return the motorbike he took from his wife to buy drugs. Cong's reason was that his wife was completely unaware of his actions.
Attending the trial, the defendant's wife sat silently. As she listened to her husband's testimony, her eyes welled up with tears. She was heartbroken that her husband had violated the law, and even more so that the man she had shared her life with for so many years had used their savings to commit wrongdoing. The woman explained her difficult circumstances, currently raising three young children alone, including a two-year-old, and pleaded with the court to consider mitigating her husband's sentence. She also asked the panel of judges to return her motorbike, which her husband had used for drug trafficking.
Meeting her husband while the court adjourned for deliberation, the woman couldn't help but feel heartbroken. She only managed to turn her head to ask about his well-being and offer a few words of encouragement. The young man inquired about the children's situation and apologized to his relatives. He also asked his wife to take care of the children for him. Their conversation was cut short when the judges returned to work and announced the verdict.
The panel of judges determined that the defendant's actions violated the law. The defendant's sincere confession and remorse were considered mitigating circumstances. After considering all aspects of the case, the court sentenced Nguyen Van Cong to 20 years in prison for the crime of illegally trading narcotics.
Her husband was sentenced to 20 years in prison, and his emaciated wife rushed after him in tears… She tried to get closer to him but was stopped by law enforcement. Helpless, the woman silently left the courthouse. Because back home, her young children were waiting for their mother…
