Two friends sentenced to death for carrying backpack full of drugs to sell

On the morning of January 9, the People's Court of Nghe An province opened a first-instance criminal trial to try Xong Ba Va (born in 1988), residing in Muong Ai commune, Ky Son district, for the crime of "Illegal trading of narcotics", and Xong Ba Hu (born in 1989), residing in Muong Ai commune, for the crimes of "Illegal trading of narcotics" and "Possession of military weapons".

According to the investigation agency’s documents, around May 2019, Hu went to Muong Xen town (Ky Son district) and met a man named Thanh (Vinh city) who asked to buy drugs. The two exchanged phone numbers.

After that, Hu contacted his friend Xong Ba Va to discuss the matter of someone ordering drugs. At the same time, he gave Va Thanh's phone number to call and get acquainted.

Two defendants at trial. Photo: Tran Vu

Around the beginning of July 2019, Va went to the market in Muong Khun (Xieng Khuang, Laos) and met two Lao men, who introduced themselves as Xong Va Chi and Xong Va So. These two men asked Va: "If anyone wants to buy drugs, please introduce them to us." After that, Va acted as an intermediary connecting two Lao men for Hu and Thanh to discuss buying "white goods".

Some time later, Va and Hu met Thanh at the Hoa Ban Do motel (Muong Xen town). Here, Thanh ordered crystal meth and pink phien for 360 million VND. On the afternoon of July 23, Chi and So brought a backpack containing drugs with Va and Hu to the Ba village area, Huu Kiem commune to hide the backpack, then returned to the motel.

At noon on July 24, Thanh and his friend drove to the motel to pick up Va and Hu. After a while, Va and Thanh got out of the car and went to a motel to check the money. Hu continued to go with Thanh's friend to the Ba village area, Huu Kiem commune.

At 1 p.m. the same day, Hu got out of the car and went to the place where the drugs were hidden, took out a grenade and put it in his pocket. Hu carried the backpack containing the drugs to the car and drove 10 meters before being discovered by the working group of the Border Guard Station of Nam Can International Border Gate. The evidence of the case was 7,032.31 grams of Methamphetamine.

At the trial, the two defendants admitted to the crimes as charged in the indictment. Both said that due to difficult circumstances, they took the risk of drug trafficking. The two defendants asked the court to “give them a chance to survive” so they could start their lives over.

The panel of judges determined that the drug trafficking behavior of the two defendants was particularly dangerous to society. The two defendants trafficked in particularly large quantities of drugs, so they needed a corresponding sentence. Therefore, the court sentenced Xong Ba Va to death for “Illegal drug trafficking”; sentenced Xong Ba Hu to death for “Illegal drug trafficking” and 1 year and 6 months in prison for “Illegal possession of military weapons”, the total sentence was death.