Late tears after a dream of changing one's life through drugs.

The Nghe An Provincial People's Court recently tried several drug-related cases, including two transnational drug trafficking rings run by four men from Thanh Chuong district. Three of the four defendants in these two rings received the highest sentence – the death penalty – due to the enormous quantity of drugs they were involved in trafficking.

Nguyen Ngoc Ich (born 1977), residing in Hanh Lam commune, Thanh Chuong district, was arrested on October 15, 2018, while illegally trading 30 blocks of heroin. Ich had purchased the drugs from a Lao national and was transporting them to Ho Chi Minh City for delivery to a customer.

Nguyen Ngoc Ich wept uncontrollably, hoping his two daughters and wife would be healthy... Photo: Nhu Binh

Unlike other defendants who often prevaricate and deny guilt when faced with the harshest legal penalties, Nguyen Ngoc Ich appeared very sincere in answering the questions of the panel of judges. To raise capital for this "all-in" gamble, Ich sold his family's car.

Ich and his wife have three children, one son and two daughters. About five years ago, for some unknown reason, a loaded gun appeared in Ich's house. His son, while playing with the gun, was shot in the head and died instantly. This loss was a huge shock to Ich. Therefore, when he saw his two daughters being brought to court by relatives, especially the youngest, nearly two years old, who was unfamiliar with her father and refused to be held, Ich broke down in tears several times.

Ich hugged his eldest daughter, kissed her chubby cheeks and soft hair, then tried to grasp the tiny hand of his youngest daughter with his handcuffed hands, tears streaming down his face. He instructed his young wife to take good care of their two children, and told his younger brother to fulfill his filial duty to their parents and help his sister care for the two children until they grew up.

Ich Bao, having committed a crime for which there is no excuse, has no objection to the death sentence handed down by the court. His only wish is to be reunited with his only son in the afterlife!

The trial of Kha Van Cong (born in 1983), residing in Ngoc Lam commune, Thanh Chuong district, and his accomplices coincided with the summer vacation for students. Cong's two children accompanied their mother to the trial very early, but according to regulations, they were not allowed into the courtroom. While the older sister seemed aware of the solemnity of the courtroom by sitting silently on a chair outside the hallway, the younger brother occasionally ran to the door, peering inside, where his father stood before the witness stand.

Kha Van Cong's son stands waiting for his father outside the courtroom door. Photo: Nhu Binh

Originally a truck driver on the Vietnam-Laos route, with his wife working in the fields and running a grocery store, Cong became acquainted with several Laotians during his time driving. In early 2018, a Laotian asked Cong to find a source of drugs to sell in Vietnam. Cong agreed and asked his nephew, Quang Van La (born in 1994), residing in Thanh Son commune, Thanh Chuong district, to help. La introduced the source to Le Hong Nam (born in 1977), residing in Hanh Lam commune, Thanh Chuong district. Nam agreed to buy 1 kg of methamphetamine for $6,200 and a pair of heroin for $11,000.

In June 2018, Le Hong Nam gave Kha Van Cong 150 million VND to pick up the goods. Cong and La went to Cau Treo Border Gate (Ha Tinh province) to receive a package of methamphetamine (weighing nearly 1 kg) from a Lao national, then transported it to Thanh Thuy commune, Thanh Chuong district, Nghe An province to deliver to Nam for distribution. For this transaction, Nam paid Cong 7 million VND and La 5 million VND as commission.

On July 3, 2018, Le Hong Nam gave Kha Van Cong nearly 2.9 billion VND to buy 19 blocks of heroin and 4 packages of methamphetamine from a Lao national. Quang Van La accompanied Kha Van Cong to the Cau Treo border gate (Ha Tinh province) to receive the drugs and then transported them to Hanh Lam commune, Thanh Chuong district, to deliver to Nam. In this transaction, according to calculations, Nam and La received a profit of 200 million VND, while Cong received 100 million VND. Nam "advanced" Cong 50 million VND, with the remainder to be paid after the drugs were sold.

At approximately 8:00 AM on July 4, 2018, when Kha Van Cong and Quang Van La were transporting the drugs to Thanh Thuy commune (Thanh Chuong district), they were stopped by authorities in Nghe An province for an administrative inspection. Fearing detection, Cong sped away, but the authorities used guns to shoot out the tires and break the car's windows to arrest Kha Van Cong and Quang Van La. They seized 19 blocks of heroin and 4 packets of methamphetamine from the back seat next to Quang Van La. Le Van Nam was subsequently arrested under a warrant.

Kha Van Cong (marked with an X) bursts into tears after receiving his death sentence. Photo: Nhu Binh

Throughout the trial, Kha Van Cong appeared strong, but when the judges retired to deliberate and he was allowed to see his wife and children, he broke down in tears – tears of remorse and regret. With the amount of drugs involved in the trafficking reaching 11.3 kg, Cong knew his path back was closed; it was the inevitable price to pay for someone who dreamed of making money at any cost, even disregarding the law.

However, Cong's sentence didn't end there, because since his arrest and imprisonment, his wife alone has struggled to raise their two children who are still in school. The guilty father choked back tears as he urged his two children to try not to drop out of school and to help their mother when he was away. Cong slumped onto the table, clutching his children's hands, sobbing uncontrollably, and the children cried along with him…

Driven by greed, individuals like Nguyen Ngoc Ich and Kha Van Cong have spread the deadly white powder, killing countless people and destroying the homes of numerous families. Those ill-gotten gains have also killed them, plunging their children's futures into darkness as their families are left without a breadwinner! This is the price to pay for people like Ich and Cong. My only pity is for the innocent children – the victims of their own fathers!