The man had to 'spend 15 years in prison' after going into the forest to find banana flowers.

On August 6, Nghe An Provincial People's Court opened a first-instance criminal trial of defendant Cut Pho Vat (born 1973), residing in Keng Du commune, Ky Son district, for the crime of "Illegal drug trafficking".

The case file shows that at around 3:00 p.m. on March 15, Vat went into the forest near his house to find banana flowers to cook. While in the forest, Vat met a Laotian man (name and address unknown). This man suggested that he had drugs, so Vat bought 2 packages of pink meth for 3 million VND.

Vat brought the above drugs to his farm to use and sell to addicts for profit. Vat also used the drugs to pay two local people who transported the wood.

Defendant Cut Pho Vat. Photo: Tran Vu

At around 2:00 a.m. on March 16, Cut Pho Vat was caught red-handed by Ky Son District Police in coordination with Keng Du Border Guard Station with 38.2 grams of drugs while in the shack.

At the trial, the defendant Cut Pho Vat admitted his crime. Vat said that because he was addicted, he bought drugs to use gradually and sell them in retail. The defendant chose a camp in the forest to sell drugs to avoid detection by the authorities.

Considering the case as a whole, the panel sentenced defendant Cut Pho Vat to 15 years in prison for the crime of Illegally trading in narcotics.