While studying to become barbers, the cousins ended up selling drugs.
Leaving their hometown for the capital to learn hairdressing with the hope of making a living, the two brothers couldn't overcome the trap of drugs. They rented an apartment and planned to traffic drugs. Long, arduous years in prison were the inevitable outcome for those who fall into drug addiction.
Renting an apartment to traffic drugs.
Truong Duc Anh (30 years old) and Dang Quang Duy (29 years old), both residing in Nghia Thanh commune, Nghia Dan district, are cousins. Besides their family relationship, both were orphaned at a young age; Anh lost his father, and Duy's mother also passed away.
Due to their family circumstances, both brothers dropped out of school early and went out to work. After working odd jobs for a while, the two brothers decided to go to Hanoi to learn hairdressing. In the capital, they rented a fairly well-known apartment to live in. But shortly after, the pair committed the illegal act of buying and selling drugs twice.
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According to the indictment, on the first occasion, due to a prior acquaintance, on August 4, 2023, Truong Duc Anh was contacted by Le Thi Nhung (born in 1995, residing in Hung Yen province) to purchase 20 synthetic drug pills ("candy") and approximately 100 grams of Ketamine. He agreed to sell them to the customer, quoting a price of 56 million VND and requesting a 3 million VND deposit.
On the same day, Anh went to the roadside of a large urban area in Da Ton commune, Gia Lam district (Hanoi) to buy drugs from a motorbike taxi driver. He brought the drugs back to his apartment and hid them. On August 7th, Anh gave the drugs to his cousin, Dang Quang Duy, to sell to Nhung.
After purchasing the drugs, Nhung was caught red-handed by the police while selling them to customers. Subsequently, the investigating agency separated the case of defendant Le Thi Nhung for separate trial, and she received a sentence of 11 years and 9 months in prison.
In addition to the aforementioned crimes, Anh also sold drugs to Le Quang Hung (29 years old, residing in Quan Bau ward, Vinh City). Specifically, on August 10, 2023, Hung called Anh to inquire about purchasing 100 grams of Ketamine and 100 synthetic drug pills, and transferred 71 million VND.
In order to have drugs to sell to customers, on August 13th, Truong Duc Anh bought many drug pills from a man named Vuong (whose identity and background are unknown) for 19 million VND.
Later that afternoon, Vuong sent a delivery person to bring the drugs to Anh. Since Anh was away in his hometown attending his father's memorial service, he asked his cousin, Duy, to go down to the apartment building lobby to receive the drugs, which were disguised in a set of glass teacups and saucers.
After receiving the drugs, Duy sent them to Hung via passenger bus in Vinh City. Around 10 PM that same day, Hung was caught red-handed by the police while picking up the drugs. A few days later, knowing that Hung had been arrested, Anh and Duy deleted their online accounts to evade authorities.
Expanding the investigation, on October 10, 2023, the Vinh City Police Investigation Agency issued an emergency detention order against Dang Quang Duy for the illegal trafficking of narcotics. On the same day, Truong Duc Anh surrendered to the police.
The investigating agency determined that in this case, Anh and Duy are criminally liable for two instances of buying and selling 148 grams of drugs. Le Quang Hung is responsible for possessing more than 71 grams of drugs.
Cousins go to prison together.
For the aforementioned actions, defendants Dang Quang Duy and Truong Duc Anh were prosecuted and brought to trial for the crime of illegally buying and selling narcotics. Defendant Le Quang Hung was tried separately for the crime of illegally transporting narcotics.
At the recent trial, before the witness stand, the defendants admitted to the crimes as charged in the indictment. Defendants Anh and Duy testified that they were cousins who came to Hanoi together to learn hairdressing. Lacking supervision from relatives and driven by greed, both became deeply involved in drug trafficking despite knowing that such actions were against the law.
Both expressed remorse for their wrongdoing and felt guilty towards their families and loved ones. The two defendants stated that they had always dreamed of having stable jobs to provide for their families. However, due to their desire for a lavish lifestyle, they conspired to engage in the illegal trafficking of drugs. Now, standing before the court, the two brothers expressed regret that their greed had buried their youth in prison.
Appearing in court, defendant Le Quang Hung testified that he bought the drugs for personal use, not for resale. When questioned by the judges about why he had such a large quantity for personal use, he explained that he kept them at home for later use. "After drinking with friends, I usually took out the drugs to use," he stated.
The court ruled that the defendants' acts of buying, selling, and possessing narcotics were all violations of the law. Although the defendants knew these acts were prohibited by law, they disregarded the law for profit, thus requiring strict punishment to serve as a deterrent and prevent similar crimes in the future.
Considering the aggravating circumstances in this case, defendants Dang Quang Duy and Truong Duc Anh committed the crime two or more times, therefore, each defendant was sentenced to 20 years in prison. Defendant Le Quang Hung received a 10-year sentence for the crime of illegally possessing narcotics.
Drugs have caused three young men to waste their youth in prison. The sentences handed down to the defendants serve as a costly lesson for many others, especially young people.
