Selling the family's buffalo to buy guns for drug trafficking.
(Baonghean.vn) - Luong Van Dinh in Nghe An sold five of his family's buffaloes to buy drugs for personal use and resale. During the drug transaction, he also purchased a K59 pistol for self-defense.
On the morning of November 14th, the People's Court of Nghe An province opened a first-instance criminal trial to hear the case against defendant Luong Van Dinh (born in 1972), residing in Xieng My commune, Tuong Duong district, for the offenses of "Illegal trafficking of narcotics" and "Illegal possession of military weapons".
The indictment from the Provincial People's Procuracy clearly states that on the morning of July 1, 2018, Dinh called a man named Dong (residing in Ky Son district) to inquire about buying drugs for personal use and resale, and buying a gun for self-defense. During negotiations, the man named Dong quoted a price of 150 million VND for one block of heroin and 6 million VND for a handgun.
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| Defendant Luong Van Dinh. Photo: Tran Vu |
After reaching an agreement, Luong Van Dinh rode his motorbike to Khe Kien village, Luu Kien commune (Tuong Duong district) to wait for the "goods". There, Dinh handed over 156 million VND to Dong and received from him one block of heroin weighing 350 grams, one K 59 pistol, and seven bullets. Dinh concealed all the goods on his person and returned home.
When Dinh arrived at Cua Rao 2 village, Xa Luong commune, he was discovered and caught red-handed by the police of Tuong Duong district, who confiscated all the evidence.
In court, Dinh admitted to his crime. The defendant stated that he had been addicted to drugs for nearly two years. To get money to buy drugs, Dinh often sold buffaloes. "To get enough money, over 150 million VND, I sold five buffaloes belonging to my family. I bought drugs for personal use and to sell for a small profit," Dinh testified in court.
The court determined that the defendant's actions were dangerous to society. Driven by greed, he disregarded the law and engaged in drug trafficking, an act strictly prohibited by the state. The defendant's good character, honest confession, and first-time offense were considered mitigating circumstances.
After a thorough review of the case, the court sentenced Luong Van Dinh to 20 years in prison for "illegally trading narcotics" and 2 years in prison for "illegally possessing military weapons." The total sentence the defendant must receive is 22 years in prison.
