The long way home of the man working as a drug 'coolie'
Hu was hired by a stranger to transport a backpack of drugs for 10 million VND, so he immediately agreed. However, before he received any payment, Hu was sentenced to life in prison. The indefinite sentence made the day he could return to his two young children seem far away...
While hunting, he received a job to transport drugs.
Ho Ba Hu (34 years old), residing in Nam Can commune, Ky Son district, is the 7th child in a family of 9 children. The family has many children, and his parents depend on farming rice and corn all year round, so their lives are always in need. However, Hu still overcame his circumstances to finish secondary school.
When he reached adulthood, Hu got married and made a living as a freelancer. After working on the farm, the young man went hunting in the forest to support his wife and children. A hard life combined with conflicts and disagreements caused Hu and his wife to go their separate ways.
After his marriage broke down, Hu was responsible for raising two children, aged 10 and 7. Every day, when he went hunting in the forest or to collect bamboo shoots to sell, the young father had to leave his children with relatives. However, during one hunting trip, Hu listened to the invitation of a bad person and "sold himself" to drugs.
The indictment stated that at around 7:00 p.m. on April 8, 2024, while Ho Ba Hu was hunting in the forest, he met an unknown man. This man hired Hu to transport drugs from Khe Thuy Dien (Tien Tieu village, Nam Can commune) to the National Highway 7A area to deliver to someone else, and would receive 10 million VND as a reward. Faced with the attractive promise, Hu agreed.
Then, the man gave Hu a backpack and said that inside there were many packages of drugs. Ho Ba Hu put the backpack on his back and got on the motorbike driven by this man to go deliver the drugs.drug.
At about 8:20 p.m. the same day, when the two reached the trail area in Tien Tieu village, Nam Can commune, the Mon Son Border Guard Station working group in coordination with functional agencies signaled to stop the vehicle for inspection.
When the police discovered the man driving the motorbike, he abandoned the vehicle and fled into the forest. Ho Ba Hu was arrested with 120 packages of drugs weighing more than 2.2 kg. For his actions, Hu was prosecuted and brought to trial for the crime of illegal transportation of drugs.
At the trial, defendant Ho Ba Hu admitted to the crime as charged in the indictment. The defendant stated that he went hunting that day but caught nothing all day. Therefore, when someone approached him and invited him to transport drugs for hire, the defendant agreed because he thought of the large sum of money. Hu stated that due to financial hardship and pressure to raise children, he became blinded and fell into crime.
The defendant expressed remorse for his wrongdoings. Not only did his actions land him in prison, but the future of his two young children was uncertain. Therefore, he repeatedly asked the court to consider reducing his sentence.
The defendant also stated that he is an ethnic minority and has limited legal awareness. On the other hand, his family is in difficult circumstances, he is divorced and is raising two young children. He asked the court to give him the opportunity to return to his family soon.
Entrusting children to relatives before going to prison
During the deliberation, Hu turned his head slightly to look at a few relatives present in the courtroom. His eyes were about to cry, Hu looked at everyone then hesitantly turned back. A while later, the defendant's younger brother came over to comfort him. Hu signaled that he was fine, then asked about everyone at home.
The young father did not forget to ask about the situation of his two young children. Hu appeared helpless and ashamed of having set a bad example for his children. With a choked voice, Hu told his younger brother: "Remember to take care of the children to help me." Hearing that, the younger brother nodded continuously, telling Hu to rest assured that he would reform well to find an opportunity to return and reunite with his relatives.
Then the defendant confided that since his arrest, due to circumstances, he had not had the opportunity to see his children. During his detention, the thing he was most concerned about was the future of his two young children who had already lacked love from their mother and now that their father was in prison. Therefore, taking advantage of this short meeting with his relatives, he could only entrust his relatives to take care of and raise his children to be good people. Hu shared that he only hoped that his children would become good people and not break the law like their father.
The defendant's confessions were 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 for general deterrence and prevention. However, it was also necessary to consider some mitigating circumstances for the defendant, such as the defendant having a good character, confessing honestly, repenting, and having relatives who had contributed to the revolution.
Considering the case as a whole, the panel sentenced the defendant Ho Ba Hu to life in prison for the crime of Illegally transporting narcotics. As for the man who transported the drugs with the defendant, because Hu did not know his identity or background, the authorities had no basis to prosecute him.
Because of his greed, Hu had to pay a heavy price, burying his life behind bars. But perhaps the thing that made the young father most worried and troubled when he went to serve his sentence was the future of his two young children. The advice to "remember to take care of your grandchildren" sent to his relatives before going to prison was probably what Hu wanted most.
