Despite having multiple previous convictions, he still colluded in drug trafficking.
All six defendants had criminal records, having been imprisoned multiple times. After being released from prison, they colluded to rent a motel room to traffic drugs.
On July 3rd, the People's Court of Nghe An province opened a first-instance trial to hear the case against six defendants: Phan The Tien (born in 1994), residing in Vinh Loc ward; Tran Manh Cuong (born in 1994) and Tran Van Anh (born in 1995), both residing in Cua Lo ward; Phan Xuan Son (born in 1989) and Le Quoc Hung (born in 1992), both residing in Vinh Phu ward (Nghe An); and Tran Minh Ly (born in 1993), residing in Ha Tinh, for the crime of illegally trading narcotics.
The defendants all have a bad criminal record, having previously served prison sentences for crimes such as robbery, theft, illegal trafficking and possession of narcotics, and possession of property obtained through crimes committed by others.
After being released from prison, these individuals contacted each other to engage in the illegal buying and selling of drugs.
According to the indictment, in mid-March 2024, near Nghe An Teacher Training College, Tran Van Anh sold 0.86 grams of drugs to Phan The Tien for 2 million VND. Afterward, Tien discussed with Cuong that when a customer wanted to buy drugs, Cuong would be responsible for delivering them.
At noon on March 23, 2024, in the area of the HT guesthouse (in Vinh Loc ward), Tien and Cuong sold 500,000 VND worth of drugs to Tran Van Tung. That evening, they continued to sell another 300,000 VND worth of drugs to Tung before being discovered by the police.
Further investigation by the police revealed that, prior to this, on March 22, 2024, Le Quoc Hung introduced Tien to Phan Xuan Son, who purchased approximately 100 grams of methamphetamine for Tien.
Later, Son contacted Tran Minh Ly to inquire about buying drugs and went with Tien to Ha Tinh to meet Ly and purchase 1 quantity of drugs for 43 million VND.
The following day, after testing the drugs and finding them to be of substandard quality, Hung, along with Tien and Son, went to exchange them. After exchanging the drugs, Tien asked Cuong to hide them for later resale to make a profit.
Investigators examined the scene and discovered over 92 grams of drugs. Further inspection of the guesthouse revealed additional drugs.
The investigating agency determined that the total amount of drugs for which Phan Thế Tiến, Trần Mạnh Cường, Phan Xuân Sơn, Trần Minh Lý, and Lê Quốc Hùng are criminally liable is over 93 grams. Trần Văn Anh is responsible for the act of buying and selling 0.86 grams of drugs.
At the trial, all defendants admitted to their crimes and asked the court to consider mitigating circumstances and reduce their sentences.
Considering that Phan Thế Tiến committed the crime as the mastermind, the court sentenced him to 17 years in prison. For actively assisting in the crime, Trần Mạnh Cường and Trần Minh Lý each received 16 years in prison.
For the crime of illegal drug trafficking, defendant Phan Xuan Son received a 15-year prison sentence. Defendant Le Quoc Hung was sentenced to 11 years in prison. Defendant Tran Van Anh received a 2-year and 6-month prison sentence.
