Late tears after the dream of changing life with drugs

The People's Court of Nghe An province has just tried a number of drug-related cases, including two transnational drug rings run by four men in Thanh Chuong district. Three out of four defendants in these two rings received the highest sentence - the death penalty, because the amount of drugs the defendants were involved in trafficking was very large.

Nguyen Ngoc Ich (born in 1977), residing in Hanh Lam commune, Thanh Chuong, was arrested on October 15, 2018 while illegally buying and selling 30 heroin cakes. This amount of drugs was purchased by Ich from a Laotian and was being transported to Ho Chi Minh City to be delivered to a customer.

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

Unlike other defendants who often beat around the bush and deny their guilt when facing the highest penalty under the law, Nguyen Ngoc Ich appeared to be very sincere in answering the jury’s questions. To have the capital to make this “all-in” move, Ich sold his family’s car.

Ich and his wife had 3 children, 1 boy and 2 girls. About 5 years ago, for some reason, Ich's house had a loaded gun. While playing with the gun, his son was shot in the head and died on the spot. This loss caused a great shock to Ich. Therefore, when he saw his 2 daughters brought to court by relatives, especially the youngest daughter, who was almost 2 years old and had no father, kept running out and refused to let him hold her, Ich burst into tears many times.

Ich hugged the older girl, kissed her chubby cheeks and silky hair, then tried to reach out with his handcuffed hands to hold the youngest daughter's tiny hand, tears falling non-stop. Ich told his young wife to try to take good care of the two children, and told his younger brother to fulfill his filial duty to his parents, helping his sister take care of the two children until they grew up.

Ich Bao said that his crime was beyond excuse and he had no objection to the death sentence that the court had imposed. This man's only wish was to soon reunite with his only son in the afterlife!

The trial of Kha Van Cong (born in 1983), residing in Ngoc Lam commune, Thanh Chuong and his accomplices coincided with the summer vacation of students. Cong's two children followed their mother to the trial very early, but according to regulations, they were not allowed to enter the courtroom. While the older sister seemed to be aware of the solemnity of the court by sitting quietly on a chair outside the hallway, the younger brother occasionally ran to the front door, looking inside, where his father was standing 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, his wife stayed home to farm and sell groceries. During his time driving, Cong got to know some Lao people. In early 2018, a Lao asked Cong to find a source to buy drugs to sell to Vietnam. Cong agreed and asked his nephew Quang Van La (born in 1994), residing in Thanh Son commune, Thanh Chuong district, to help find them. La introduced the source to Le Hong Nam (born in 1977), residing in Hanh Lam commune, Thanh Chuong. Nam agreed to buy 1 kg of crystal meth for 6,200 USD, and a pair of heroin for 11,000 USD.

In June 2018, Le Hong Nam gave Kha Van Cong 150 million VND to get the goods. Cong and La went to Cau Treo Border Gate (Ha Tinh) to receive a package of crystal meth (weighing nearly 1 kg) from a Laotian and then transported it to Thanh Thuy Commune, Thanh Chuong, Nghe An to deliver to Nam for sale. In this transaction, Nam paid Cong 7 million VND and La 5 million VND for the fee.

On July 3, 2018, Le Hong Nam gave Kha Van Cong nearly 2.9 billion VND to buy 19 heroin cakes and 4 packages of crystal meth from Lao people. Quang Van La accompanied Kha Van Cong to Cau Treo Border Gate (Ha Tinh) to receive the drugs and then transported them to Hanh Lam Commune, Thanh Chuong 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, the rest would be paid after selling the goods.

At around 8:00 a.m. on July 4, 2018, when Kha Van Cong and Quang Van La were transporting the above drugs to Thanh Thuy commune (Thanh Chuong district), they were asked by Nghe An province authorities to stop the vehicle for an administrative check. Fearing being discovered, Cong accelerated and fled. The authorities used guns to puncture the tires and break the car windows to arrest Kha Van Cong and Quang Van La, confiscating 19 heroin bars and 4 packages of crystal meth in the back seat next to Quang Van La. Le Van Nam was arrested following a wanted warrant.

Kha Van Cong (marked with X) burst into tears after receiving the death sentence. Photo: Nhu Binh

Throughout the trial, Kha Van Cong appeared to be tough, but when the jury deliberated and met his wife and children, this man burst into tears - tears of remorse and regret. With the amount of drugs he had been involved in trafficking reaching 11.3 kg, Cong knew his way back was over, that was the inevitable price to pay for someone who dreams of making money at any cost, even in defiance of the law.

However, Cong's sentence did not stop there because since Cong was imprisoned, his wife alone could hardly take care of raising two school-age children. The guilty father choked up and told his two children to try not to drop out of school halfway, to help their mother when he was away. Cong collapsed on the table, holding his two children's hands tightly, sobbing, and the two children cried too...

Because of greed, people like Nguyen Ngoc Ich and Kha Van Cong have spread white death, killed many people, and destroyed the homes of many families. That sinful money also killed them, pushing the future of their children into darkness when the family lost its breadwinner! That is the price that people like Ich and Cong have to pay. I only pity the innocent children - the victims of their own fathers!