The struggle between the scout and the drug lord under the stream

On April 24, Lieutenant Colonel Tran Phuc Tu - Head of Tuong Duong District Police said that the investigation agency has just initiated a case and prosecuted Vu Chong Nenh (born in 1971), residing in Muong Pet District, Xieng Khouang Province, Lao PDR, for the crime of "Illegal drug trafficking"..

Vu Chong Nhenh is originally from Huoi Tu commune, Ky Son district (Nghe An). In the 1980s, he and his family migrated to Laos. Due to his drug addiction, in 2007, Nhenh started to set up a drug trafficking network from Laos to Vietnam. Nhenh chose the Moi slope hill area, Yen Na commune (Tuong Duong) as the place to gather goods.

Subject Vu Chong Nhenh with drugs and firearms at the police station. Photo: Kim Phuong

When the Tuong Duong District Police destroyed, pushed, and chased away this notorious drug trafficking spot, Vu Chong Nhenh fled to Laos to hide for a while. Recently, intelligence sources said that this drug lord reappeared in the Pu Lom slope area, Dua village, Luong Minh commune (Tuong Duong).

Nênh set up a shack on a cliff, with cliffs on both sides, and posted guards. Only Nênh and a few trusted men were allowed to enter and use drugs at the shack.

Customers who wanted to buy drugs had to go to the stream. Only when Nênh stood on the shack looking down and saw no signs of suspicion did he agree to deliver the goods and receive the money. And like other bosses, Nênh always had a loaded gun on him, ready to pull the trigger when he was surrounded and arrested.

The intelligence source reported that in the early morning of April 22, Nhenh would deliver a large quantity of drugs to a customer. Realizing that the opportunity to arrest Nhenh had come, the Task Force came up with a specific plan.

On April 20, many working groups set out to enter the lair of drug lord Vu Chong Nhenh. From the commune center, if going by trail, they would have to go through many villages and residential areas that could easily be exposed. The task force decided to wade across the river, follow the stream banks, go around several hills, and approach Nhenh's shack from behind.

On the evening of March 21, while entering the “tiger den”, a hailstorm fell, forcing the scouts to struggle to endure. The large stones, as big as eggplants, kept falling straight down, hitting their faces and heads. Combined with the cold and hunger, many of the scouts were exhausted. However, because of their determination to destroy the drug den and arrest Va Chong Nhenh, the brothers refused to leave their positions.

The camp set up by Nhenh to trade drugs. Photo: HL

The scouts groped their way through the darkness, getting closer to their target. The ground was slippery from the afternoon rain, causing the scouts to fall. However, they tried not to make any noise and the entire formation moved forward silently.

Around midnight, the forces participating in the investigation were present around Nhenh’s shack. At this time, Nhenh and 3 addicts had just finished using drugs in the shack. Determining that the time to solve the case had come, the detectives suddenly rushed in. Even though he was high on drugs, Nhenh was still alert enough to reach for the gun in his waistband. But at that moment, a quick-witted detective snatched the gun and threw Nhenh to the floor.

One of the two detectives who directly captured the suspect at the moment of life and death said: “Even though he was controlled, Nhenh still fought back fiercely, causing both the detective and Nhenh to roll down the ravine. Thanks to the support of coordinated forces, the suspect was completely controlled. The task force also had to fire warning shots to suppress Nhenh's lookouts from coming in to rescue the boss.”

During the on-site search, police seized 1 heroin cake, 1,800 ecstasy pills, 1 military gun, 4 bullets, 1 homemade hunting gun, 2 knives and a number of items used for drug trafficking.

Currently, Tuong Duong District Police are focusing on expanding the project.