The downfall of a boy living in a family lacking love

Tragedy of a family

The trial of defendant Nguyen Anh Tu (20 years old), residing in Tam Hop commune, Quy Hop district, for the crime of illegal drug trafficking, was approaching, but not a single relative attended the large courtroom. The defendant looked down several times as if searching for his family, but saw only empty rows of benches. Tu lowered his head, his face showing obvious sadness.

When asked about his family, Tu choked up and shared: His father had passed away, his mother and his fiancée were probably busy so they couldn't come down. Then Tu confided that his father had actually been in prison twice for drugs. After serving his first prison sentence, his father discovered he had an infectious disease. Not long after, he reoffended and was sent back to prison. After being released from prison for the second time, his father passed away. Tu's mother had also been in prison once like his father. She is currently battling cancer, so life is difficult.

The belated tears of remorse of defendant Nguyen Anh Tu. Photo: Tran Vu

This young man shared that he had lived with his grandparents since he was young. Lacking the care and guidance of his parents, Tu dropped out of school after 5th grade. Born early, Tu did many different jobs to make a living. From his phone surfing the internet every day, Tu got to know a girl who lived dozens of kilometers away from his house. When he discovered that his girlfriend was pregnant, Tu could not complete the marriage procedures because she was not old enough to get married, so he had to bring her to live in his house, waiting until she was old enough to consider later. But the joy of becoming a father did not last long before Tu got into trouble with the law.

According to the case file, on November 28, 2022, Nguyen Anh Tu rode his motorbike to the Ban Ve hydroelectric area in Tuong Duong district to buy drugs. Following the instructions of a man standing on the side of the road, Tu bought many packages of pink phien and heroin for 17 million VND. Tu brought the drugs home to hide, waiting for the right time to sell them to customers.

A few days later, Tu sold drugs to a customer twice for 800,000 VND. Tu's illegal behavior was exposed on December 1, 2022, when the Quy Hop District Police working group searched Tu's house and discovered many packages of drugs with a total weight of more than 60 grams. Nguyen Anh Tu was prosecuted and brought to trial for the crime of illegal drug trafficking.

Tears of a young father

The trial of the defendant proceeded quite quickly when Tu admitted to the crime. Giving the reason for violating the law, the defendant explained that because of difficult family circumstances, his wife had just given birth and needed money, so he smuggled drugs to sell. Regarding the money he earned from selling drugs, the defendant said he used it to buy diapers and milk for his child.

Regarding the 17 million VND used to buy drugs, the defendant said he got it through savings. “The defendant said he was in trouble and needed money to support his wife and children, but why did he spend 17 million VND to sell drugs instead of using that money to take care of his wife and children?”, Tu remained silent when asked by the court.

The defendant stated that he was persuaded by friends and could not control himself, so he committed the crime. In his final statement before the court deliberated, the defendant asked the panel of judges to consider a lighter sentence so that he could return to his wife and children soon.

Defendant Nguyen Anh Tu was sentenced by the People's Court to 17 years in prison for illegal drug trafficking. Photo: Tran Vu

During the deliberation, mentioning the child who was over 7 months old, Tu's eyes were red. The young father explained that he and his unmarried wife had a child together. At the time of Tu's arrest, the child was just over 1 month old. Tu expressed his sadness at not fulfilling his duties as a father to his child and as a husband to his wife in the family. The defendant expressed his regret for following in his parents' footsteps, and now having to receive legal punishment, not only that, but also causing his relatives to be upset.

Taking advantage of the time before the court announced the verdict, the defendant’s defense attorney called Tu’s family. On the other end of the line was the defendant’s mother, who said she was taking her grandchild to the hospital and could not attend the court. Tu only had time to tell his mother to come down and pay the court fees and send him some essential items to the prison. The conversation was quickly interrupted when the other end of the line only heard “beep, beep”.

With many worries, Tu confided that he always felt guilty towards his wife and children. But he also felt worried about his future when there was no legal bond between him and his wife. Then Tu wiped away his tears and choked up, saying: “If she finds someone who treats her well, she can go to them, don’t wait for me. Because I don’t know when I will be able to return, while she is still young…”.

Nguyen Anh Tu was sentenced to 17 years in prison by the jury for illegal drug trafficking. The day of reuniting with his wife and children became a distant memory for the young father...