Digging tunnels to hide tons of explosives for mining

On the morning of January 31, the People's Court of Quy Hop district opened a criminal trial against defendant Nguyen Nhan Truong (born 1989) in Hong Long commune, Nam Dan district for the crime of "illegally storing explosives".

According to the indictment in early 2017, Truong worked as an excavator driver for Nam Hoan Construction and Mineral Exploitation Joint Stock Company, headquartered in Moi Hamlet, Chau Dinh Commune (Quy Hop), with Mr. Nguyen Viet Nam as director.

The company is in the process of applying for a mining license at Len Nam Ngon (Xom Moi, Chau Dinh commune). Since May 2017, Mr. Nam has handed over the management of the quarry to Truong to take a medical leave in Hanoi. At the same time, Truong transacted and bought from a man (who introduced himself as coming from Thanh Hoa) a quantity of explosives and slow-burning fuse for 20 million VND.

Nguyen Nhan Truong was found possessing 100 kg of explosives. Photo: Quy Hop.

After that, Truong hid the explosives in a metal box buried underground at the quarry, and hid the detonator and fuse in his shack. On August 3, 2017, Truong hired Vi Quach Bach, Vi Van Tuan, and Vi Van Diep, all residing in Chau Dinh commune, to go to the Nam Ngon quarry to drill rocks with a verbal agreement that Truong would pay each person 260,000 VND per day.

While 3 workers were drilling rocks, Truong brought out 3 bags of explosives and detonators. Before they could use them, they were discovered and confiscated by the working group of Nghe An police and Quy Hop police. The evidence was 83 bags of explosives in their original packaging, 1 bag of explosives with the packaging torn at the edge, inside were 8 sticks of explosives, 27 detonators and 40 meters of slow-burning wire. The total weight of 84 bags of explosives that Nguyen Nhan Truong had in his possession was 100 kg (67.6 kg).

As for the man who sold explosives to Truong, because he had no name or address, there was no basis for criminal prosecution. As for Mr. Nguyen Viet Nam, director of Nam Hoan Construction and Mineral Exploitation Joint Stock Company, the investigation results determined that Mr. Nam only assigned Truong to manage the quarry, not to direct the production and exploitation of stone. Mr. Nam did not know that Truong bought, stored explosives, and hired workers to exploit stone, so there was no basis for criminal prosecution against Mr. Nam.

Based on the evidence, documents, and debate results at the above trial, the panel sentenced Nguyen Nhan Truong to 5 years and 6 months in prison for "illegally storing explosives" under Clause 3, Article 232 of the Penal Code.