The bitter end of a man with 5 criminal records who stole... drugs

Thief gets... drugs

Although he was the eldest son in a middle-class family, Ha Vinh Ngoc (born in 1975, residing in Xuan Giang commune, Nghi Xuan, Ha Tinh) dropped out of school when he was in 11th grade and began a long career in crime. In 1992, when he was only 17 years old, Ha Vinh Ngoc was sentenced to 8 years in prison for the crimes of "Extortion of citizens' property", "Theft of citizens' property" and "Theft of socialist property". Not long after his release from prison, in 2000, Ngoc was imprisoned again for "Theft of citizens' property" with a sentence of 36 months in prison.

In 2003, Ha Vinh Ngoc returned to prison with a 32-month sentence for theft. In 2006, after being released from prison, Ngoc married a woman, but the two had no children together, so they adopted a child in the hope of having children's laughter to bring joy to the family. However, that small family could not hold on to the goodness in Ngoc. In 2008, when Ngoc was arrested for "Illegal drug trafficking"It was also when the young wife was depressed, took her child and left without a trace.

Defendant Ha Vinh Ngoc. Photo: Nhu Binh

Not long after serving this sentence, in 2014, Ha Vinh Ngoc was sentenced to another 9 years in prison for “Illegal transportation of narcotics”. In March 2020, Ngoc completed this 5th sentence.

According to Ha Vinh Ngoc's testimony, on July 22, 2020, this man took a bus from Ha Tinh to Vinh City. On the bus, he discovered a woman leaving a black bag under her seat. When he was near the drop-off point, Ha Vinh Ngoc quickly stole the bag and jumped off. But he was quickly disillusioned when the bag contained not money or valuables but... 3 packages of drugs. He immediately took a bus back, hid the drugs in the bushes near his house, and looked for an opportunity to sell them for profit.

Defendant Ha Vinh Ngoc in court. Photo: Nhu Binh

He was addicted to drugs and had been convicted of transporting and storing drugs, but he did not know where to sell these goods. After asking around, he learned that each pink pill cost up to 300,000 VND on the market, so Ngoc decided to go to Hanoi, to go to nightclubs and bars to "sell".

At 2:00 a.m. on July 24, 2020, while holding a leather briefcase containing drugs in a car going to Hanoi, when arriving at Dien Chau district, Ngoc was discovered by the anti-drug force of Nghe An Police, caught red-handed with nearly 400 grams of drugs including pink pills and ecstasy.

Love old mother, miss young child

During the investigation, Ha Vinh Ngoc did not admit to his crime. Ngoc claimed that the drugs were stolen by the defendant, not bought, and had not been sold, so the investigation agency's accusation that the defendant committed "Illegal drug trafficking" was not satisfactory. However, when the People's Procuracy reviewed the testimony, Ngoc changed his testimony and admitted that the authorities' prosecution of him for "Illegal drug trafficking" was the right person and the right crime.

At the trial, Ngoc continued to assert that he had stolen the drugs from a woman he did not know. However, the jury members said that the defendant’s testimony about the origin of the drugs was not convincing.

With a life sentence, Ha Vinh Ngoc will have to spend the rest of his life paying for his crimes. Photo: Nhu Binh

Appointed to defend the defendant at the trial, lawyer Le Thi Kim Soa - Le Tran Law Firm said that the defendant had given false testimony and had accomplices. This lawyer encouraged Ha Vinh Ngoc more than once to reveal his accomplices to receive leniency from the law.

“According to the lawyer’s source, in this case, the defendant’s accomplice is the woman with whom the defendant is currently in a relationship. If the defendant reveals the accomplice, perhaps the defendant will have the opportunity to return to see his mother again. His father has passed away, and his mother is old and weak. The defendant has spent nearly 30 years in prison, and now faces a life sentence. Has the defendant ever thought about his mother’s pain?”, the lawyer suggested.

Hearing the lawyer's heartfelt words, Ha Vinh Ngoc bowed his head and whispered: "The defendant feels guilty towards his mother and loves her, but what happened to him is done. What he did is his responsibility, it has nothing to do with anyone else."

Ha Vinh Ngoc also hopes that the panel of judges will consider his sincerity and the fact that his parents were awarded the Resistance Medal by the State when sentencing him, giving him the first sentence of the penalty range so that he has a chance to return home.

While waiting for the jury to deliberate, Ngoc's relatives moved closer to the defendant's area and announced that his girlfriend had given birth to a daughter 15 days ago. Seeing the image of his daughter on the phone screen, Ngoc's eyes suddenly lit up with joy. At 45 years old, for the first time he enjoyed the joy of being a father, although with this punishment, Ngoc would find it difficult to fulfill his responsibility towards his little daughter.

The presiding judge determined that the defendant’s refusal to admit having an accomplice did not affect the nature of the case. The defendant had a bad personal history, committed a dangerous recidivism, and had a large amount of drugs, so it was necessary to permanently isolate him from society for general deterrence and prevention.

With a life sentence, Ha Vinh Ngoc will have to spend the rest of his life paying for his crimes. As if he knew this outcome early on, Ngoc silently let the escorting officer handcuff him, turned around and told his family to take care of his mother, then walked out to the car.