Sold family buffalo to buy guns and sell drugs

Tran Vu• DNUM_BEZBBZCABI 15:19

(Baonghean.vn) - Luong Van Dinh in Nghe An sold 5 of his family's buffaloes to get money to buy drugs to use and sell for profit. During the transaction, this man also bought a K59 gun for "self-defense".

On the morning of November 14, Nghe An Provincial People's Court opened a first-instance criminal trial of defendant Luong Van Dinh (born in 1972), residing in Xieng My commune, Tuong Duong district, for the acts of "Illegal trading of narcotics" and "Illegal possession of military weapons".

The indictment of the provincial People's Procuracy stated that on the morning of July 1, 2018, Dinh called a man named Dong (residing in Ky Son district) to buy drugs for use and sale for profit, and to buy a gun for self-defense. During the negotiation process, the man named Dong offered 150 million VND for 1 heroin cake, and 6 million VND for a pistol.

Defendant Luong Van Dinh. Photo: Tran Vu

After the agreement was reached, Luong Van Dinh rode his motorbike to Khe Kien village, Luu Kien commune (Tuong Duong district) to wait to receive the “goods”. There, Dinh handed over 156 million VND to Dong and received from him a heroin cake weighing 350 grams, a K59 gun and 7 bullets. Dinh put all the above goods on his person and then moved home.

When Dinh went to Cua Rao 2 village, Xa Luong commune, he was discovered by Tuong Duong district police, caught red-handed, and all evidence was confiscated.

In court, Dinh admitted his crime. The defendant said he had been addicted to drugs for nearly 2 years. To have money to buy drugs, Dinh often sold buffaloes. “To have enough money of more than 150 million VND, the defendant sold 5 buffaloes of his family. The defendant bought drugs for personal use and sold them to make a small profit,” Dinh said in court.

The panel of judges determined that the defendant's actions were dangerous to society. Because of greed, he recklessly bought and sold drugs, an act strictly prohibited by the state. The defendant had a good character, confessed honestly, and being a first-time offender was a mitigating circumstance.

After considering the case in its entirety, the panel sentenced Luong Van Dinh to 20 years in prison for “Illegal drug trafficking” and 2 years in prison for “Illegal possession of military weapons”. The total sentence the defendant received was 22 years in prison.