The long and arduous journey home for the man who became a drug courier.

While out hunting, he received a job to transport drugs.

Hờ Bá Hử (34 years old), residing in Nậm Cắn commune, Kỳ Sơn district, is the seventh child in a family of nine. With a large family and parents relying solely on farming rice and corn year-round, life is always a struggle to make ends meet. Despite this, Hử overcame his circumstances to complete his secondary education.

Upon reaching adulthood, Hu got married and earned a living as a freelancer. After working in the fields, he would go into the forest to hunt to support his wife and children. The hardships of life, coupled with conflicts and disagreements, led to Hu and his wife separating.

After his marriage broke down, Hu was responsible for raising his two children, aged 10 and 7. Every day, whenever he went hunting or gathering bamboo shoots to sell in the forest, the young father had to leave his children with relatives. However, during one hunting trip, Hu succumbed to the temptation of bad company and "sold himself" to drugs.

According to the indictment, at approximately 7 PM on April 8, 2024, while Hờ Bá Hử was hunting in the forest, he encountered an unknown man. This man hired Hử to transport drugs from the Thủy Điện ravine (Tiền Tiêu village, Nậm Cắn commune) to the area of ​​National Highway 7A to deliver to another person, promising him 10 million dong as payment. Enticed by the attractive promise, Hử agreed.

Then, the man gave Hử a backpack and said it contained several packages of drugs. Hờ Bá Hử put the backpack on his back and got on the motorbike driven by the man to go deliver the drugs.drug.

At approximately 8:20 PM on the same day, when the two reached the trail area in Tien Tieu village, Nam Can commune, they were signaled to stop for inspection by a task force from Mon Son Border Guard Station in coordination with other relevant agencies.

Upon spotting the authorities, the man driving the motorbike abandoned his vehicle and fled into the forest. Hờ Bá Hử, however, was apprehended along with the evidence: 120 packages of narcotics weighing over 2.2 kg in total. For this offense, Hử was prosecuted and brought to trial for the crime of illegally transporting narcotics.

At the trial, defendant Hờ Bá Hử admitted to the crimes as charged in the indictment. He testified that he went hunting that day but caught nothing all day. Therefore, when someone approached him and offered to help transport drugs, he agreed, thinking of the large sum of money involved. Hử stated that due to financial hardship, lack of resources, and the pressure of raising his children, he was blinded by his circumstances and fell into a life of crime.

The defendant expressed remorse for his wrongdoing, stating that his actions not only led to his imprisonment but also cast a dark shadow over the future of his two young children. Therefore, he repeatedly pleaded with the court to consider mitigating circumstances and reduce his sentence.

The defendant also stated that he is a member of an ethnic minority group with limited legal awareness. Furthermore, he mentioned his difficult family circumstances, that he is divorced and currently raising two young children, and requested the court to give him the opportunity to return to his family as soon as possible.

Entrusting young children to relatives before going to prison.

During the recess, Hu glanced back at some of his relatives present in the courtroom. His eyes welled up with tears as he looked at everyone, then hesitantly turned away. It was only after a while that the defendant's younger brother approached to comfort him. Hu gestured to show he was alright, then inquired about everyone's well-being at home.

The young father didn't forget to ask about his two young children. Hu felt helpless and ashamed for having set a bad example for them. His voice choked with emotion, Hu instructed his younger brother, "Remember to take good care of the children and help me raise them well." Hearing this, his brother nodded repeatedly, telling Hu to focus on his rehabilitation so he could find an opportunity to return and reunite with his family.

The defendant then confessed that since his arrest, due to circumstances, he hadn't had the opportunity to see his children. During his detention, his greatest worry was the future of his two young children, who were already deprived of their mother's love and now had their father in prison. Therefore, during this brief meeting with his relatives, he could only entrust them to his care and upbringing. He shared that he only hoped his children would grow up to be good people and not violate the law like their father.

The defendant's confession was interrupted when the panel of judges announced the verdict. The court determined that the defendant had transported a large quantity of drugs, and therefore needed to be severely punished to deter and prevent similar crimes in the future. However, it was also necessary to consider some mitigating circumstances for the defendant, such as his good character, honest confession, remorse, and the fact that his family members had contributed to the revolution.

After a comprehensive review of the case, the court sentenced defendant Hờ Bá Hử to life imprisonment for the crime of illegally transporting narcotics. Regarding the man who transported the drugs with the defendant, because Hử did not know his identity or background, the authorities have not yet had grounds to prosecute him.

Because of his greed, Hu paid a heavy price, burying his life behind bars. But perhaps what worried and troubled the young father most as he went to serve his sentence was the future of his two young children. The parting words he sent to his relatives before going to prison, "Remember to raise the children well," were probably what Hu hoped for most.