The nemesis of drug crime in Nghe An

Lieutenant Colonel Cao Thanh Sam was assigned to take on the role of Chief of Vinh Tan Ward Police (Vinh City) from the beginning of 2020. Previously, he had spent 15 years working at the Drug Crime Investigation Police Team, Vinh City Police and held the position of Team Leader for many consecutive years.

During his time working at the Drug Crime Investigation Team of Vinh City Police, Lieutenant Colonel Cao Thanh Sam could not list how many cases he and his teammates had solved and how many drug criminals he had arrested. In the memory of this "nemesis" of drug criminals, each time he fought a case was a time when he and his teammates stepped on the line between life and death. Each case was a story full of danger but also drama and many memories...

Lieutenant Colonel Cao Thanh Sam (sitting) receives citizens at Vinh Tan Ward Police Station. Photo: Hoai Thu

Lieutenant Colonel Cao Thanh Sam still remembers vividly the life-and-death experiences with his teammates in all the hot spots, following the smallest traces of the big bosses. He said that one of the most memorable cases was in April 2019, when he got information about a large-scale transnational drug trafficking ring from Laos, transiting through Vinh city and then bringing it to Ho Chi Minh city for consumption. This ring was led by Nguyen Phi Hung, residing in Cua Nam ward. Assigned by his superiors to directly direct the investigation and solve the case, Lieutenant Colonel Cao Thanh Sam commanded the reconnaissance team to monitor and verify the identity, background and social relationships of Nguyen Phi Hung and his accomplices, discovering that the subject had connections with Lau Ba Chong (born in 1995) in Muong Tip commune and Va Ba Cu (born in 1980) in Na Ngoi commune (Ky Son). Under Hung's direction, Lau Ba Chong and Ba Cu would collude with Laotians to buy drugs, then deliver them to Nguyen Phi Hung. Actively assisting Nguyen Phi Hung in receiving drugs were Le Hong Hai (born in 1977) in block 13, Cua Nam ward and Le Ba Thao (born in 1980), in Dong Vinh ward (Vinh city).

During the investigation, Lieutenant Colonel Cao Thanh Sam and his teammates had to follow the suspects for many days in the mountainous district of Ky Son. “The mountainous terrain was steep and dangerous, so my fellow scouts and I had to hide in the forest. During the day, it was hot and sunny, and at night it rained heavily, so some of my fellow scouts and I got sick and had malaria. However, the scout team still stuck to the area to monitor and grasp information that in the early morning of July 3, 2019, Nguyen Phi Hung, Le Ba Thao and Le Hong Hai used many cars to move from Vinh city to the border area of ​​Thanh Thuy commune, near Thanh Thuy Border Gate (Thanh Chuong) to trade drugs. At that time, I proposed to establish 4 scout teams with 120 comrades to block and ambush the roads in 4 directions, each team of 30 people,” Lieutenant Colonel Sam recalled.

At around 3:00 a.m. on July 3, 2019, at Km 332 of Ho Chi Minh Road, the task force discovered Lau Ba Chong and Ha Ba Cu transporting drugs from the forest to deliver to Nguyen Phi Hung, Le Ba Thao and Le Hong Hai. After that, Hung, Thao and Hai each drove a car towards Vinh City. Upon receiving the order, 2 comrades in the reconnaissance team drove 2 cars to block the front of the car; 1 comrade drove a car to block the rear of the subjects' car and fired into the air, demanding that the subjects surrender. Nguyen Phi Hung and Le Ba Thao surrendered one by one.

Subjects in the drug trafficking ring led by Le Hong Hai. Photo courtesy of Xuan Bac

The suspect Le Hong Hai remained in the car and poured gasoline on the car in an attempt to destroy evidence, causing casualties to the arresting force, but was unsuccessful. The fire was extinguished and the suspects were captured. Lieutenant Colonel Sam commanded the reconnaissance team to arrest Lau Ba Chong and Ha Ba Cu while they were driving a motorbike to the South. The investigation ended with the seizure of 20 kg of crystal meth, 20 kg of katemin and 20 heroin bars. A search of Nguyen Phi Hung's residence resulted in the seizure of more than 8 billion VND.

In another case, on June 1, 2019, Lieutenant Colonel Cao Thanh Sam and his teammates arrested 3 subjects illegally trading in drugs, seized 15 kg of ketamine, $16,000 and many other evidences. This case was established after receiving information about a transnational drug trafficking ring that illegally traded large quantities of drugs from Laos to Vinh city for consumption, then transferred to the southern provinces.

The investigation process has identified the ringleader as Hoang Nghia Van (born in 1975), from Hamlet 7B, Hung Long Commune (Hung Nguyen), residing in Hung Binh Ward (Vinh City). This subject has a previous sentence of 15 years in prison for "Illegal drug trafficking", and has repeatedly returned to Hung Long Commune to buy and sell drugs. In addition to Van, there are also Mua Ba Cho in Nong Pong Village, Lac Xao Town, Khang Co District, Bolikhamxay Province (Laos) and Mua Ba Va in Na Ngoi Commune (Ky Son). These are the subjects who transported drugs from Laos across the border to Nghe An and delivered them to Hoang Nghia Van.

Lieutenant Colonel Sam was assigned by his superiors to work with the most experienced scouts to monitor the movements of the subjects. At 4:30 p.m. on May 27, 2019, Mua Ba Cho from Laos went to Vinh City to meet and receive $80,000 from Hoang Nghia Van at the Vinh market intersection, then boarded a bus to Huong Son (Ha Tinh). Lieutenant Colonel Sam was in charge of commanding a reconnaissance team of 15 people who surveyed the terrain and decided to ambush and arrest the subjects on National Highway 8A in Son Tay Commune, Huong Son District. This is a location quite far from residential areas, the road has curves and slopes, vehicles passing through will have to reduce speed, making it easier to intercept and arrest the subjects. Realizing that the road was blocked, the subjects on motorbikes accelerated and ran away, but Lieutenant Colonel Cao Thanh Sam and his teammates jumped on the motorbike, knocked down and captured the subjects, and seized 15 kg of ketamine. At the same time, a reconnaissance team arrested Hoang Nghia Van while he was waiting to receive drugs in Pho Chau town, Huong Son district (Ha Tinh)...

Evidence seized from the case led by Nguyen Phi Hung. Photo courtesy of Quynh Trang

Not only the above-mentioned projects, from the beginning of 2019 to March 2020 alone, Lieutenant Colonel Cao Thanh Sam and his teammates have fought and arrested 352 cases, 393 drug criminals; seized 31.52 kg of crystal meth, 8.87 kg of heroin, nearly 16,000 synthetic drug pills, 36.23 kg of ketamine, 450 kg of firecrackers and many other important evidences. Established, fought and successfully destroyed 18 projects, eliminated 4 transnational and inter-provincial drug rings; eliminated 26 complex drug retail locations...

With outstanding achievements in drug prevention and control, from 2015 to present, Lieutenant Colonel Cao Thanh Sam has been awarded 17 Certificates of Merit and Certificates of Merit of various types by all levels and sectors, and was commended by the Standing Committee of Nghe An Provincial Party Committee as a typical example of studying Ho Chi Minh's ideology, morality and style in May 2020.

Lieutenant Colonel Sam affirmed that the "profession" of fighting drug cases is always associated with dangers. Soldiers must always face unexpected dangerous situations, even life-threatening situations. Therefore, in each project, the leadership and direction of the leader and the coordination of comrades, teammates, and the support of the masses are the prerequisites for success. "The victory belongs to the collective, not to any individual," Lieutenant Colonel Sam confided, adding that the fight against drugs is still very long, and the tricks of drug traffickers are increasingly sophisticated, reckless, and daring. Therefore, he and his teammates are always ready to confront all situations and all criminals so that white death is no longer a haunting fear for each person and each family.

Currently, in his new position - Chief of Vinh Tan Ward Police (Vinh City) - Lieutenant Colonel Cao Thanh Sam believes that no matter what position a police officer holds, he will always strive to devote himself to maintaining peace for the people.