Sister 'dragged' sister to jail for drugs
Greedy, Huong plunged into drug trafficking. Huong lured her younger sister, who was a transporter, into this ring.
On September 26, Nghe An Provincial People's Court opened the first instance trial of three defendants: Tran Thi Phuong Hoa (born in 1995), residing in Giang Tien town, Phu Luong district (Thai Nguyen); Lo Thi Huong (born in 1975) and Lo Thi Xoan (born in 1978), both residing in Kim Son town, Que Phong district, for the crime of ""Illegal drug trafficking".The defendants Huong and Xoan are two biological sisters.
According to the indictment, Tran Thi Phuong Hoa met a man named Hai (identity and background unknown) while traveling to Ho Chi Minh City. Around September 2022, Hai contacted Hoa to buy drugs to bring to the South to sell.
Because Hoa had known Huong before, she contacted her and asked her to find and buy the “goods”. Later, at her family’s farm, Huong bought 1 kg of ketamine from a Mong man for 300 million VND and sold it to Hoa for 340 million VND.
On July 27, 2023, Hoa called Huong to order 1 kg of ketamine and asked her mother to transfer 340 million VND. After purchasing the drugs, Huong hired her younger sister Xoan to bring the "goods" to Vinh City to deliver to Hoa, promising to pay 20 million VND for the service.
On the morning of July 31, 2023, Xoan took a bus to Vinh City and successfully delivered the drugs to Hoa. In this transport, in addition to the 20 million VND her sister paid, Xoan also received an additional 700,000 VND tip from the customer.
Hoa put the drugs she bought in a cardboard box with dried fish and sent them by bus to Ho Chi Minh City for Hai. After receiving the “goods”, Hai sent Hoa 400 million VND.
On August 6, 2023, Hoa continued to order 1 kg of drugs from Huong. After receiving 340 million VND, Huong bought drugs and hired her sister to take them to Vinh City. However, when Xoan was delivering drugs to Hoa at the Ga intersection, Vinh City, she was arrested by the police with evidence of a package of drugs weighing 998.51 grams.
Searching Hoa's residence, the police seized 0.36 grams.drugMDMA and 0.57 grams of marijuana. Hoa said the drugs were left by a friend who came to visit her house, and the defendant kept them to sell gradually.
The investigation agency determined that Hoa must bear criminal responsibility for two drug trafficking cases with a volume of 1,997.02 grams of ketamine; 0.36 grams of MDMA and 0.57 grams of marijuana. Huong and Xoan must bear criminal responsibility for the illegal trafficking of 1,997.02 grams of ketamine.
At the trial, the defendants all admitted to their crimes. Defendant Hoa moved to Vinh City to rent an apartment to live and work as a freelancer. Hoa said she sold drugs for profit, and after each successful sale, she “profited” 60 million VND.
Defendant Huong expressed remorse for dragging her sister into prison. All defendants asked the court to consider reducing their sentences.
After a comprehensive review of the case, the panel sentenced Tran Thi Phuong Hoa and Lo Thi Huong to 20 years in prison each, while defendant Lo Thi Xoan was sentenced to 18 years in prison.
