Treating a friend to a birthday party with...drugs during the pandemic

On January 24, Nghe An Provincial People's Court opened a first-instance criminal trial of the defendants: Le Phuong Hong (born in 1987); Nguyen Dinh Ba (born in 1990), both residing in Nghi An commune (Vinh city); Bui Trong Tuan (born in 1982), residing in Nghi Kim commune (Vinh city) for the crime of "Organizing illegal use of drugs”.Defendant Nguyen Dinh Loi (born 1984), residing in Nghi An commune (Vinh city) was prosecuted for the crime of "Concealing illegal use of drugs".

In July 2021, Nghe An province was implementing Prime Minister's Directive 16 to prevent and combat the Covid-19 epidemic. However, Le Phuong Hong still had the intention of celebrating her birthday with a drug party.

Defendants at trial. Photo: Tran Vu

According to the indictment, on July 17, 2021, Hong bought 6 drug pills (priced at 2.4 million VND) from a stranger at Bac Vinh Bus Station and then brought them home to hide.

On the evening of July 21, 2021, Hong brought drugs to the New City karaoke bar in Nghi An commune and then called a group of friends including Bui Trong Tuan, Nguyen Dinh Ba... to invite them to the bar to sing at a birthday party. Hong also asked Tuan to buy an additional 2.5 million VND worth of drugs to use at the birthday party.

At the karaoke bar, Hong was given a room by the staff to celebrate her birthday and use drugs. The subjects also invited a number of male and female friends, including those under 18 years old, to use drugs.

Nguyen Dinh Loi is the owner of the bar. Even though he knew that people were using drugs in the karaoke room, he did not stop them but joined in.

The subjects were using drugs until dawn the next day when they were caught red-handed by the police. The authorities discovered that the remaining amount of drugs that the subjects had not used was 2.26 grams.

At the trial, the defendants admitted to the crimes as charged in the indictment. Hong confessed that he treated his friends to a birthday party with drugs because he had been invited to do so by someone else before.

Loi confessed that he knew that at that time Nghe An was implementing Directive 16 to prevent and fight the Covid-19 epidemic, but because he "respected" the customers, he opened a karaoke bar for people to sing and use drugs.

After a comprehensive review of the case, the panel sentenced the defendants Le Phuong Hong to 8 years in prison, Nguyen Dinh Ba to 5 years in prison, Bui Trong Tuan to 8 years in prison, and Nguyen Dinh Loi to 7 years in prison. The subjects who participated in drug use with the defendants in the case were administratively punished according to regulations./.