Tracking down the drug dealer

In early October 2017, through the work of controlling the area on the Cua Lo route to the mountainous districts in the west of Nghe An, the reconnaissance force of the Anti-Drug Crime Task Force No. 2 - Coast Guard Command discovered a drug trafficking and illegal transportation line from Laos to Nghe An and then to the southern provinces for consumption.

Determining the complexity of the case, identifying the network as involving foreign subjects, the Anti-Drug Crime Task Force No. 2 - Coast Guard Command established the CM-2018 project, with Lieutenant Colonel Phan Quang Huy, the Head of the Task Force, mobilizing young, enthusiastic detectives who had never appeared before, to quickly coordinate with veteran detectives to investigate and verify.

Track the driver

To decode this network, many reconnaissance teams were sent to key drug areas, international border gates, especially mountainous districts bordering Laos. They focused on verifying criminal suspects, business people, and drivers from Laos to Vietnam.

However, the biggest challenge for the task force was the large area, stretching from the mountainous districts of western Nghe An to Cua Lo port. With a large number of people and a small number of soldiers, collecting information and documents related to this network was not a quick task.

The task force assessed the completion of the task. Photo: Cam Phu

The reconnaissance teams collected many important documents about a drug trafficking ring from Laos to Nghe An and then to the southern provinces for consumption by sea. At this time, all movements of the ring and the subjects were in the sights of the reconnaissance teams, from here, the portrait of the "driver" specializing in illegal drug trafficking was revealed.

That is Nguyen Duc Huynh (born in 1989), residing in Tien Phong commune, Que Phong district, Nghe An. From working as a driver, often traveling on the roads, Huynh interacts with many people and has wide acquaintances.

In early 2015, due to his erratic driving job and insufficient salary to cover his living expenses, Huynh began to look for a new way to make a living. After a period of unemployment in a foreign land, Huynh traveled everywhere to make a living. In mid-2015, Huynh accidentally met a local person, at first it was just a business relationship, after a while he realized that drug trafficking would bring in a huge profit if carried out successfully.

Huynh and the Laotian discussed setting up a drug trafficking ring from Laos to Nghe An and then to the southern provinces for consumption. Huynh acted as a middleman.

Initially, the two subjects agreed that the other would take the goods, while Huynh would receive the goods and then connect with some subjects in the South to supply if customers requested. After a period of operation, seeing the huge profit from trading "white goods", Huynh directly purchased the goods from the Lao subject and took on the role of transporting without going through any other intermediary steps.

According to the subject's operating rules, Huynh would transport 2 to 3 kg of crystal meth once a month. After getting the drugs from Laos, Huynh brought them to his home in Tien Phong commune, Que Phong district, hid them, and then contacted a group of subjects in the South to go by waterway to Cua Lo port area. After agreeing on the price, Huynh brought the drugs from Que Phong district along Highway 48 to Cua Lo town to deliver the drugs.

To avoid the authorities, Huynh did not travel by bus or other means of transport, but hired a taxi to transport the goods. On the way, he always monitored and kept an eye out for any authorities following him. If he saw anything unusual, he would immediately change the delivery location or stop all transactions.

Summary of the subject

After determining that the subject would bring drugs to Cua Lo port to deliver to customers, the task force made a specific plan, every calculation was detailed to capture the subject and the evidence.

As expected, on December 27, 2017, information from the detectives showed that after receiving the goods, the subject was on his way by taxi to Cua Lo port to deliver the drugs to the customer. At this time, the task force was asked to monitor all movements of the subject on the way while ensuring secrecy, avoiding "pulling the trigger and disturbing the forest". At all costs, do not lose track or break off, otherwise all the efforts of the task force would be in vain.

Subject Nguyen Duc Huynh was arrested. Photo: Cam Phu

As the investigation team had determined, on the way, Huynh drove around several districts on Highway 48 and then along Highway 46 to Cua Lo Port. However, the suspect's movements did not escape the eyes of the detectives.

After arriving in the area, the subject suddenly changed his route again. To avoid being stopped by the authorities, he drove around Binh Minh Square, Cua Lo Town many times. Then, on one hand, Huynh drove the car back towards Vinh, on the other hand, he contacted to change the transaction location.

By the evening of the same day, the subject once again returned to Vinh city without transacting in Cua Lo. Considering that the subject might stop transacting, the task force decided to coordinate with the Drug Crime Investigation Police Department of Nghe An Police to solve the case.

At around 10pm, after many hours in the taxi, when arriving in front of the gate of Nghe An Friendship Hospital, Huynh stopped the car.

At this time, the reconnaissance team successfully arrested the subject with evidence of 2 kg of crystal meth. Initially, at the police station, the subject Huynh admitted all his crimes.