Exposing the sophisticated tricks of the 'drug hot girl'
It seems that the 30-month prison sentence for "Illegal drug trafficking" did not wake Hoa up as this young woman continued to commit crimes. Being a cunning subject, Hoa did not directly participate in the buying and selling but connected with subjects in the mountainous areas to find sources of "goods". But "going out at night too much will eventually meet a ghost", this subject had to be handcuffed...
"Old habits die hard"
Her pretty face, white skin, and high-bunned blond hair made Tran Thi Phuong Hoa (born in 1995), residing in Giang Tien town, Phu Luong district (Thai Nguyen) stand out when standing between her two accomplices at the trial of the case of "Illegal drug trafficking". The two defendants on trial with Hoa were Lo Thi Huong (born in 1975) and her younger sister Lo Thi Xoan (born in 1978), both residing in Kim Son town, Que Phong district (Nghe An).
Hoa is from Thai Nguyen province but moved to Vinh city and rented an apartment to live. This young woman created a luxurious cover for herself by riding a "fancy" motorbike and dressing stylishly. Hoa presented herself as doing online business, but in reality, she illegally bought and sold drugs many times.
In 2016, Tran Thi Phuong Hoa was sentenced to 30 months in prison by the Vinh City People's Court for "Illegal drug trafficking". Having been in trouble with the law when she was only in her early 20s, after serving her prison sentence, Hoa should have taken it as a lesson for herself, worked hard, and at least taken care of her future. However, this girl seemed to only want to find a light job with a high salary. Hoa often traveled and made friends with some bad guys, then formed a drug trafficking line from North to South.
According to the indictment, in early 2022, while traveling to Ho Chi Minh City, Hoa met a man named Hai (identity and background unknown). Around September 2022, Hai contacted Hoa to discuss buying drugs to bring to the South to sell.
Because of their previous acquaintance, Hoa contacted Lo Thi Huong to ask her to buy drugs. When she heard Hoa discussing the drug trade, Huong agreed. Later, while working on her family’s rubber plantation, Huong met a Mong man who asked to buy 1 kg of Ketamine and was quoted 300 million VND. After finding the source of the “goods”, Huong told Hoa the price of 340 million VND and gave her the account number for the buyer to transfer the money to her.
From July 27, 2023 to August 12, 2023, Tran Thi Phuong Hoa committed the act twice.drug trafficking. The first time, Hoa called Huong to order 1 kg of drugs. After successfully purchasing the drugs, Huong hired her younger sister, Lo Thi Xoan, to bring the "goods" to Vinh City to deliver to Hoa, promising to pay 20 million VND for the service.
On the morning of July 31, 2023, Xoan took a bus to Vinh City and delivered drugs to Hoa at Quan Banh Bridge, Vinh City. In this transport, in addition to the 20 million VND her sister paid, Xoan also received a tip of 700,000 VND from the customer. Hoa put the drugs she bought in a cardboard box with dried fish and sent them by bus to Ho Chi Minh City to deliver to Hai. After receiving the "goods", Hai sent Hoa 400 million VND.
After the first successful deal, Hoa continued to order another kilogram of drugs from Huong. Like the previous time, Huong bought 300 million VND but quoted Hoa 340 million VND and asked for the money to be transferred. After that, Huong also hired her younger sister Xoan to “ship” drugs for Hoa.
On August 12, 2023, when Lo Thi Xoan was delivering drugs to Hoa at the Vinh Station intersection, Quan Bau ward, Vinh city, she was arrested by the police with evidence of a package of drugs. Searching Hoa's residence, the police seized 0.36 grams of MDMA and 0.57 grams of marijuana. Hoa said that these drugs were left by a friend who came to visit her house. After being discovered, Hoa hid them in the house so that if someone asked to buy them, she could sell them for profit.
The investigation agency determined that the two times she bought drugs to sell to Hoa, Huong bought them from the same person, the same type, the same quantity and the same price. Therefore, Tran Thi Phuong Hoa must bear criminal responsibility for 1997.02 grams of Ketamine; 0.36 grams of MDMA and 0.57 grams of marijuana. Meanwhile, the two sisters Lo Thi Huong and Xoan must bear criminal responsibility for illegally buying and selling 1997.02 grams of Ketamine.
Borrow money from mother to sell drugs
As the mastermind in the case, defendant Hoa confessed to trafficking drugs to resell to a man she met while traveling in Ho Chi Minh City. The defendant did not directly search for the source of the "goods" but connected with a subject living in the mountainous area to buy drugs.
To avoid detection by the authorities, the defendant admitted that he did not transact in cash, but that the money for buying and selling drugs was all made by bank transfer. When bringing drugs to Ho Chi Minh City, Hoa chose to pack them in cardboard boxes like any other normal goods and send them by bus.
When questioned by the court about the origin of the 680 million VND that the defendant spent to buy drugs twice, the defendant said it was not his. Hoa testified in court that both times the money to buy drugs was transferred through her biological mother. “The defendant borrowed money from her mother to trade drugs,” the defendant stated.
When the jury questioned the defendant about not having a stable job but why his parents lent him such a large amount of money in such a short period of time, Hoa remained silent. The defendant stated that he was involved in drug trafficking alone and that his relatives did not know.
After the first successful business deal, the defendant made a profit of 60 million VND. Blinded by the large sum of money, the defendant continued to rush into the dark path like a moth to a flame, even though he knew it was against the law. And Hoa had to be handcuffed in the second transaction.
Now, standing before the jury, Hoa bowed her head and pleaded guilty, admitting her illegal actions. The defendant explained that she was young, unmarried, and had lost her future, but asked the court to consider reducing her sentence so that she could soon have a chance to return to start her life over again.
The two accomplices in the case also admitted to the crime as charged in the indictment. Defendant Huong stated that because of greed, she bought drugs for Hoa. Then, she quoted a price difference to pocket it. After buying the drugs, Huong hired her younger sister, defendant Xoan, to transport them to Vinh City.
Defendant Xoan was sentenced to 7 years in prison for "Illegal drug trafficking". Xoan is a person who understands the provisions of the law but still commits crimes, showing contempt for the law. In court, this defendant repeatedly wiped away tears to show remorse. The defendant asked the court to consider reducing the sentence so that he can return to his children soon.
After considering the role of each defendant in the case, the panel sentenced Tran Thi Phuong Hoa and Lo Thi Huong to 20 years in prison each, while defendant Lo Thi Xoan was sentenced to 18 years in prison for "Illegal drug trafficking".
This is a harsh sentence, right person, right crime for the defendants. As for Tran Thi Phuong Hoa, the mistake of youth can be sympathized, but the fact that Hoa still repeats her own mistakes shows contempt for the law and this is a heavy price that the defendant must pay.
