Sister 'dragged' sister to jail for drugs
Greedy, Huong jumped into drug trafficking. She lured her younger sister, who worked as a transporter, to join her in this ring.
On September 26, the People's Court of Nghe An province opened the first instance trial of three defendants, including: Tran Thi Phuong Hoa (born 1995), residing in Giang Tien town, Phu Luong district (Thai Nguyen); Lo Thi Huong (born 1975) and Lo Thi Xoan (born 1978), both residing in Kim Son town, Que Phong district, for the crime of "Illegal drug trafficking".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 buying 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 the drugs and hired her sister to take them to Vinh City. However, when Xoan was delivering drugs to Hoa at the Ga intersection in Vinh City, she was arrested by the police with evidence of a package of drugs weighing 998.51 grams.
Searching Hoa's residence, 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 that she kept them to sell gradually.
The investigation agency determined that Hoa must bear criminal responsibility for two drug trafficking cases with the amount of 1997.02 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 1997.02 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 confessed that 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 each to 20 years in prison, while defendant Lo Thi Xoan was sentenced to 18 years in prison.
