Authorities set a trap to capture the drug kingpin in the heart of Nghe An province.

(Baonghean.vn)The warning shots fired by the special task force shattered the tranquility of Pù Kẽm peak, causing the crime boss Và Vả Lỳ to frantically try to escape his hideout. However, in an instant, the detectives emerged from their hiding places, subduing Lỳ before he could flee into the deep forest.

Setting up a makeshift camp on the mountaintop to buy and sell drugs.

Recently, the summit of Pù Kẽm (Xốp Pu village, Yên Na commune, Tương Dương district) has become a hot spot for illegal drug trafficking. Several individuals from Kỳ Sơn have colluded with some Hmong people in Laos to set up makeshift shelters for drug dealing. Among them, Và Vả Lỳ (born in 1981), also known as Và Pá Pó, residing in Mường Lống commune, Kỳ Sơn district, stands out.

The Subject and the Stubborn

Despite his young age, Ly was known for his recklessness and impulsiveness. Leaving his three children at home with his wife, Ly decided to climb to the top of Pu Kem mountain, dreaming of changing his life through this highly profitable commodity. Together with an accomplice named Cho (a Laotian national whose identity is yet to be determined), Ly sought to purchase drugs from across the border, stockpiling them in a shack and selling them to those in need in unlimited quantities.

“Not only was Ly reckless and impulsive, but he was also extremely cunning. Around his hut, Ly set up many traps to prevent outsiders from entering his territory. Along the trail from the foot of the mountain to the hut, Ly used empty beer cans hung on low branches; if a stranger entered, even a slight bump would trigger a ‘bell’ system, and Ly would find a way to retreat into the deep forest,” a detective involved in the case said.

To counter the police and other rivals, Ly armed himself with an AK rifle and two handguns, always loaded. After the drugs arrived in Vietnam, Ly would directly handle the buying and selling transactions, while Cho's role was to act as a lookout. Determined to dismantle this complex drug trafficking hub, under the direct guidance of the Provincial Police Directorate, the PC47 Department established a special case, code-named 616H, to combat it.

Setting a trap to catch the "kingpin"

Late on July 24th, more than 30 officers from PC47, along with the anti-drug force of Tuong Duong District Police, crossed two hills and secretly approached Va Va Ly's shack. In the silent stillness of the forest, their eyes remained fixed on Ly's shack, monitoring even the slightest changes. Around 4:30 AM on July 25th, a dark figure approached Ly's shack and disappeared inside. The door closed, and the shack fell silent again.

The firearms Va and Ly used to confront opponents and the police force.

Recognizing that the opportune moment to crack the case had arrived, Lieutenant Colonel Nguyen Dinh Anh, Head of the Anti-Drug Crime Police Department (Provincial Police), decided to order the attack. A warning shot rang out, shattering the silence of the forest in the early morning. Lieutenant Colonel Anh used a loudspeaker to call on Ly and his accomplices to surrender. As soon as the loudspeaker stopped, the door of the shack burst open, and two figures rushed out, running straight towards the border. Va Ly hastily slung his backpack over his shoulder, only managing to grab his AK rifle, and dashed out of the shack, cutting through the forest, running for his life.

The amount of drugs seized

From their hiding places, the detectives rushed out. With just a few martial arts moves, the task force subdued Ly, disarmed him, and successfully apprehended him. They seized from Ly 3 blocks of heroin, 2 bags of methamphetamine, a loaded AK rifle, a magazine with 26 rounds, a mobile phone, and 68 million VND.

During the search of the shack, authorities seized two loaded handguns, 32 AK rifle rounds, and nearly 3,600 pills of synthetic drugs. Taking advantage of the chaos, the suspect named Chớ and his customer managed to escape.

PC47 is currently continuing its expanded investigation into the case and pursuing related suspects.

Nhu Binh