Buried life because of choosing to be a slave of the 'brown fairy'

Kha Van Phong, a resident of Huu Lap commune (Ky Son), is now 54 years old, but he has wasted half of his life because of his addiction to drugs. Addicted to drugs for many years, Phong is sinking deeper and deeper into the fire, like a moth flying into a flame, with a way in but no way out.

Phong used to have a stable economy and a warm family life with his wife and 3 children. Thanks to his hard work, Phong had a farm raising buffalo and cows. Many people wished to be like this man. But then, since he became dependent on the "brown fairy", Phong's family's wealth gradually "disappeared".

To have moments of "heaven", Phong changed from a drug addict to a drug dealer and was imprisoned twice for drugs. Accordingly, in 2013, Kha Van Phong was sentenced to 8 years in prison for the crime of "Illegal drug trafficking" at the age of 44. In 2019, also because of drugs, Phong added a second "black mark" to his record for the crime of "Illegal possession of drugs".

Kha Van Phong and evidence of the case. Photo: Tran Vu

In early September 2020, after completing his prison term, Phong returned to raising buffalo and cows to rebuild his life. His wife, children, and relatives all hoped that this time the husband and father would "seriously correct his mistakes" so that he would not have any regrets for the rest of his life. However, once again, he disappointed his wife and children.

Around July 2022, Kha Van Phong was at his family's cattle farm when a man came and asked, "Do you know where to buy red pills?" Phong understood that red pills were pink pills, so he asked again, "How much do you want to buy?" The customer ordered more than 10 packages of pink pills, each package costing 3 million VND.

To have “goods” to sell to customers, the next day Phong went to Ca (an acquaintance) to buy 13 packages of pink phien (weighing more than 251 grams) for 30 million VND. Because he did not have enough money, Phong paid 17 million VND in advance, and asked to delay the remaining amount. Before leaving, Phong was also “tipped” by Ca with some pink phien pills. Because of his addiction, Phong used up all the drugs in a short time.

Regarding the amount of heroin he bought, Phong took it home and hid it at his family's buffalo and cow farm. After many contacts, on August 2, 2022, Phong and the buyer agreed on the time and place to deliver the "goods". Before leaving, Phong took a homemade pistol and 18 sports bullets and put them in his pocket. However, on the way, Kha Van Phong was caught red-handed by the police with drugs, guns, and bullets.

Defendant Kha Van Phong was sentenced to life in prison. Photo: Tran Vu

In court, Phong confessed that he had bought drugs for 10 million VND even though he had just been released from prison. It turned out that those years in prison had not really broken Phong's addiction. The weight of money combined with the "magic" that drugs brought once again defeated the determination to "break away from the past and start a new life" of the man who was over 50 years old. It is worth mentioning that this time, Kha Van Phong committed two crimes at the same time: "Illegal drug trafficking" and "Illegal possession of military weapons".

Regarding the gun and ammunition seized by the authorities, the defendant stated that around May 2022, while at his family farm, he saw a Khmu man carrying a gun and bought it for 700,000 VND. The defendant stated that the purpose was to go hunting. Phong denied that he carried the gun for any other purpose.

The third time he committed a drug-related crime, his family lost faith in his promise to correct his mistakes. If Phong had been able to justify his first offense by citing ignorance and limited legal awareness, the third time he committed the crime, it seems that the reasons he gave were difficult to accept.

After the trial, the Trial Panel determined that Kha Van Phong’s criminal behavior was a dangerous recidivism, and therefore needed to be strictly punished for general deterrence and prevention. Therefore, the court sentenced defendant Kha Van Phong to life in prison for the two crimes of “Illegal drug trafficking” and “Illegal possession of military weapons”.

Leaving the court without any relatives present or words of encouragement, Phong walked away silently. No one else but Phong himself had lost the chance to correct his previous mistakes.