Daughter bought drugs and hid them at her mother's house

On January 20, Nghe An Provincial People's Court opened a first-instance criminal trial of defendant Truong Thi Hai (born 1972), residing in Quy Hop town, Quy Hop district, for the crime of "Illegal possession of narcotics".

This is the second time Hai has appeared in court on drug-related charges. In 2015, Truong Thi Hai was sentenced to five years in prison for ""Illegal drug trafficking".

While serving his sentence at a prison in Nghe An, Hai met a man named Hoang (unknown background and address). After being released from prison, Hai still maintained a relationship with his fellow inmate.

Defendant Truong Thi Hai. Photo: Tran Vu

On June 15, 2021, Hai met Hoang again at his sister's coffee shop. Hoang said he had a source of heroin and asked Hai if he wanted to buy it. Hai immediately ordered 70 million VND worth of drugs.

At around 11pm on June 22, Hoang brought a package of drugs weighing more than 121 grams to Hai’s house and gave the customer a little extra drug. To avoid detection by the authorities, Hai took the drugs to hide in his mother’s house.

The next afternoon, while Hai was at his mother's house, the Quy Hop District Police raided his home and found drugs in his wardrobe. Hai admitted that the drugs were his.

At the trial, the defendant stated that he bought the drugs for his own use, not for sale. Regarding the 70 million VND he used to buy heroin, the defendant stated that he had earned it from savings from his tailoring business.

The panel of judges determined that in this case the defendant had the aggravating circumstance of recidivism. The defendant's honest confession and his mother's contribution to the revolution were mitigating circumstances.

Considering the case as a whole, the People's Court sentenced Truong Thi Hai to 16 years in prison for "Illegal possession of narcotics".