'Carrying' 2 criminal records still carrying 'hot goods' to sell opium

On December 29, the People's Court of Nghe An province opened a first-instance criminal trial of defendant Kha Van Phong (born 1969), residing in Huu Lap commune, Ky Son district, for the crimes of "Illegal trading of narcotics" and "Illegal possession of military weapons".

Phong is a defendant with a bad personal history, having been imprisoned twice for drug-related crimes. Accordingly, in 2013 and 2019, Phong was sentenced to 8 years and 16 months in prison, respectively, for drug trafficking and illegal possession.

In September 2020, Phong completed his prison sentence but not long after, he reoffended and trafficked drugs.

The indictment states that around July 2022, Phong was at his family's cattle farm when a man came up and asked, "Do you know where to buy red pills?"

Defendant Kha Van Phong. Photo: Tran Vu

Phong understood that the red pill was heroin so he asked “how many do you want to buy?” The customer ordered more than ten packs of heroin, each pack costing 3 million VND.

The next day, Phong went to Ca (an acquaintance) to buy 13 packages of meth (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. Phong took the drugs home and hid them at a buffalo and cow farm.

After several contacts, on August 2, Phong and the buyer agreed on a time and place to deliver the “goods”. Before leaving, Phong took a homemade pistol and 18 bullets of sports ammunition and put them in his pocket.

However, on the way, Phong was caught red-handed by the police with drugs, guns and bullets.

At the trial, the defendant admitted to the crime. The defendant said that because of greed, he bought the drugs to sell. The defendant said that if the business was successful, he would “profit” 10 million VND.

Regarding the gun and bullets confiscated by the authorities, Phong said he bought them from a Khmu ethnic man for 700,000 VND about 2 months earlier to go hunting.

Considering the defendant's criminal behavior as a dangerous recidivism, the panel sentenced defendant Kha Van Phong to life in prison for two crimes./.