Two brothers lost their lives while working as delivery drivers.

The "order" has shipping costs of hundreds of millions of dong.

Xong Ba Tong (31 years old) and Xong Ba Da (25 years old) both reside in Na Ngoi commune, Ky Son district (Nghe An province). Not only do they live in the same hometown, but they are also close cousins. Furthermore, both individuals share the commonality of having dropped out of school early.

At over 30 years old, Tong is the father of four young children, the youngest of whom is just over four. Six years younger than Tong, Da is also a father. To support their families, both primarily work in farming and small-scale livestock raising. But their peaceful lives were shattered when Tong and Da carried out a drug trafficking operation involving 8 kg of narcotics.

On January 16, 2024, Xong Ba Tong received a phone call from Lau Ba Po (32 years old), residing in Muong Tip commune, Ky Son district, who arranged to meet him at his house to discuss work. After that phone call, Tong immediately rode his motorbike to Po's house.

On the way, Tong met Xong Ba Da, his cousin, and stopped to chat. At this time, Da mentioned that he had seen Po call him that morning but was busy and didn't answer. Therefore, when Tong invited him to Po's house, Da agreed.

When the two brothers arrived, Pó approached them with the offer to hire them to transport goods.drugUpon arriving at Thanh Tri Bridge (Hanoi), Tong asked again about the quantity, and Po stated 8 kg and a fee of 160 million dong. Tong agreed to the offer but explained that he didn't have enough money for transportation. At this point, Po gave Tong and Da 2 million dong each for travel expenses.

After reaching an agreement, Pó handed Tồng a sack containing 8 kg of drugs. After receiving the drugs, the two men left. On the way, Tồng explained to Đà that Pó had hired them to transport the drugs to Hanoi, and that each of them would receive 80 million dong as payment upon completion of the task.

Da agreed, so that same afternoon she and her cousin took a bus to Hanoi to deliver the "goods." They put the drugs they were carrying in the luggage compartment of the bus, like any other bags of belongings.

After several hours of travel, at over 4:00 AM on January 17th, upon reaching the area of ​​Ring Road 3 in Hoang Mai District (Hanoi), Xong Ba Tong and Xong Ba Da got out of the vehicle. While both were waiting for customers to pick up the drugs, they were apprehended by a task force from the Dien Chau District Police (Nghe An) in coordination with other functional forces. The evidence seized included numerous packages of drugs with a total weight of nearly 8 kg.

Based on the statements of the suspects, authorities proceeded to verify the information of Lau Ba Po, but he fled the area. The investigating agency has separated Po's actions to continue verification and apprehension; he will be prosecuted later when sufficient evidence is available.

Sentenced to death

The first-instance trial of the "Illegal Transportation of Narcotics" case against defendants Xong Ba Tong and Xong Ba Da, which recently took place at the Nghe An Provincial People's Court, was a long-awaited opportunity for the two defendants to reunite with their families after many months in prison.

In the audience seats, the defendants' families looked exhausted after days of sleepless nights and loss of appetite. Occasionally, the sobbing of their loved ones shattered the somber atmosphere of the courtroom. Witnessing the suffering of their relatives, the two defendants remained silent, letting their tears flow freely. Surely now, they truly understood the costly consequences of lacking the willpower to resist the temptation of ill-gotten gains.

Showing remorse, the defendant Da sincerely confessed to his crimes throughout the trial. He stated that he agreed to go to Po's house to discuss business when Tong invited him. He then agreed to transport the drugs to Hanoi because of greed. According to the defendant, the promised payment of 80 million dong was a large sum, so he blindly committed the wrongful act.

Meanwhile, defendant Tong gave evasive testimony, denying the crime. Tong claimed he did not know that the bag given to him by Po contained drugs. He initially denied the crime but later admitted to the offense.

The defendant bowed his head, showing remorse for his evasive testimony. He justified his actions by saying he was frightened and worried about the sentence he would receive, so he prevaricated to find a chance to live. "I have four young children; I beg the court to give me a chance to live so I can return to my family, my wife and children," the defendant pleaded before the court.

The defense lawyer for defendant Da presented several mitigating circumstances to request leniency for the defendant. According to the lawyer, in this case, defendant Da did not directly commit the crime from the beginning. The defendant was merely a hired worker, acting passively. The defendant is a member of an ethnic minority group, with limited education, and therefore has limited understanding of the law. The defense lawyer hoped the court would consider granting the defendant leniency.

The trial panel found that, although the two defendants confessed honestly and showed remorse, demonstrating genuine repentance for their actions, the court considered their actions to be particularly dangerous, violating the State's laws and policies on narcotics; the large quantity of drugs involved; and the fact that the defendants have no chance of rehabilitation or education to become useful members of society, thus requiring their permanent removal from society. For these reasons, the court sentenced Xong Ba Tong and Xong Ba Da to death.

The death sentence brought tears to the eyes of the two defendants. But their remorse was now too late. Drugs had cost them both their lives, leaving behind orphaned children with an uncertain future…