Arrested 'rich kid' trafficking drugs from Quang Ninh to Nghe An, Ha Tinh

(Baonghean.vn) - Quach Huu Viet was born into a well-educated family, his parents cared for him and created all the conditions for him to study properly. However, Viet spent all day following bad boys. Not long after, he got into drugs. To have money to satisfy his addiction and spend, he colluded with people with criminal records for drugs, establishing a network specializing in supplying crystal meth from Mong Cai (Quang Ninh) to the two provinces of Nghe An and Ha Tinh, where he was the "general agent".

From addict to drug dealer

Previously, Quach Huu Viet (born in 1990), residing in Mai Hung Ward, Hoang Mai Town, was always hard-working, helping his family, and was praised by his neighbors. However, when he reached adulthood, Viet became lazy, played around, and came home late. Viet's friends were mainly unemployed young people, many of whom were even drug addicts. Also from his loose lifestyle, Quach Huu Viet "got into" drugs without realizing it.

From a healthy young man, due to drug addiction, Viet became increasingly emaciated. To have money to satisfy his addiction and personal expenses, at the age of 22, Quach Huu Viet was "involved" and had to appear in court for the act of consuming property obtained by others through crime.

Subject Quach Huu Viet

During his non-custodial reform in the locality, instead of doing honest business, Viet colluded with a number of people with criminal records in Hoang Mai Town to commit theft and illegal retail trading of drugs. At the end of 2015, Viet went to Vinh City and Ha Tinh City, colluding with a number of drug addicts to exchange and illegally trade crystal meth using extremely brutal methods.

Also during this time, the Vinh City Police Department's Drug Investigation Team saw a number of individuals specializing in illegally trading crystal meth in Vinh City and neighboring districts. During the investigation and information gathering process, the detectives paid special attention to two individuals specializing in supplying crystal meth to addicts, including Quach Huu Viet. Viet was also the "general agent" of the inter-provincial crystal meth trafficking ring from Mong Cai City, Quang Ninh Province to Ha Tinh Province.

To destroy this inter-provincial crystal meth ring, Project 416D was established, led by the Vinh City Police Department's Drug Investigation Police Team. A reconnaissance team was assigned to Mong Cai City, Quang Ninh Province to investigate and collect information to support the case-solving process.

Follow the trail

Despite the large area and rugged mountains, with great determination, the detectives in the Special Investigation Team identified the source of Vietnamese crystal meth transported to Vinh City as being smuggled from China.

From the above especially important source, the plan to catch Quach Huu Viet and related subjects was carefully calculated and considered by the Task Force. During the process of the Task Force preparing to deploy the plan to crack the case, a subject related to Quach Huu Viet's crystal meth trafficking ring was caught red-handed by the Nghe An Coast Guard.

Since learning that his “colleague” had been caught in the net for illegal drug trafficking, Viet has been very vigilant and cautious. Some time later, he fled the area and went into hiding in the northern border provinces.

At this time, the detectives in the 416D Task Force were assigned to capture Quach Huu Viet. After more than 10 days of traveling across the border areas of the northern provinces, the detectives found Quach Huu Viet's "business" location, located about 8 km from Mong Cai City.

It was the home of a family that sold groceries from China to Mong Cai. Among the four salaried workers, Viet was the most trusted by the boss. Accordingly, Viet was tasked with taking cash to China to buy goods to sell wholesale to agents. However, the detectives paid special attention to the detail that after each trip to China, at night, Viet would leave his boss's house and quickly disappear into a deserted forest in the area bordering Vietnam - China by motorbike taxi.

Believing that working for the owner of the mining area was just a "springboard" for Viet to trade in contraband goods from China to Vietnam and that this subject would return to Vinh City to trade crystal meth as soon as possible, Major Nguyen Huu Cuong, Deputy Head of the Vinh City Police Department, Head of the special task force, decided to deploy an ambush plan to catch Quach Huu Viet red-handed.

Casting the net

At the end of April 2016, detectives received information that Quach Huu Viet was preparing to leave the Quang Ninh mining area to return to his hometown to rest on the occasion of April 30 and May 1 holidays.

Believing that Viet would bring crystal meth to "distribute" to retail "agents", the Task Force arranged two working groups to deploy a plan to catch this subject red-handed. The first working group was present in Hoang Mai Town, the other working group was present at a location in Vinh City - where Viet often appeared before delivering "goods" to retail drug "agents" in Vinh City and Ha Tinh Province.

At around 7:00 p.m. on April 26, 2016, the detective team of the Special Investigation Department discovered a young man wearing a cloth hat standing in Le Mao Ward, Vinh City, showing suspicious signs, suspected of illegally possessing drugs. Through identifying characteristics, the detectives confirmed that the young man was Quach Huu Viet, residing in Hoang Mai Town - the subject to be fought in the Special Investigation Department.

Seized property.

Immediately after that, the plan to catch Quach Huu Viet red-handed was quickly implemented. About 3 minutes later, a stranger came to meet Viet on a motorbike, the two of them spoke to each other just loud enough to hear. Before Viet could get on the motorbike to go to the place to deliver the "goods", the detectives rushed in to control and arrest him.

The motorcyclist took advantage of the loophole and quickly escaped. Checking Quach Huu Viet's hat, the task force discovered 5 envelopes and 1 Vinacafe coffee package, containing white particles that Viet said were methamphetamine. Immediately after, Quach Huu Viet was taken to the Vinh City Police Department for further investigation.

Here, Quach Huu Viet confessed that the above amount of crystal meth belonged to a subject in Quang Ninh province who asked Viet to bring it to Vinh city to sell to a subject residing in Ha Tinh (who has fled) but did not know the name or specific address. Before returning to Hoang Mai town, Viet did not return home but rented a room to stay overnight.

Present at the room where the crystal meth evidence was unsealed immediately afterwards, Quach Huu Viet still appeared stubborn and uncooperative. After consolidating the case and evidence, recently, the Vinh City Police Department initiated a criminal case, prosecuted the accused, and issued a decision to temporarily detain Quach Huu Viet for the act of illegally buying, selling, and storing drugs. Currently, the case is under further investigation.

Trong Duc