Sentenced for conveniently 'asking' for drugs to use while redeeming a pawned phone

Phuong Hao• February 19, 2020 18:30

(Baonghean.vn) - According to his testimony, when he drove his motorbike to the woman's house to get the phone he had previously pawned, Lam saw a white powdery substance in lumps so he asked for some to use.

On February 19, 2020, Tan Ky District People's Court held a criminal trial against Nguyen Hong Lam (born in 1995, residing in Tan Huong commune, Tan Ky district) for the crime of illegal possession of narcotics.

At about 12:40 p.m. on December 18, 2019, Lam drove a motorbike with license plate 37H - 2940 from his house to the house of a woman named Hao in Dong Kho - Dong Tho hamlet, Nghia Dung commune to get the phone that Lam had previously pawned. Here, the woman named Hao returned a mobile phone to Lam and gave Lam a cigarette pack, inside the cigarette pack was a small package wrapped in 2 layers of white foil, containing a white lumpy substance and said "for less use”.

Defendant Nguyen Hong Lam at the trial. Photo: Phuong Hao

Because he was addicted to drugs, Lam knew the white powder was heroin, so he took the cigarette pack containing the drug and put it in his pocket, then drove home.

At about 1:20 p.m. the same day, when he returned to the border area between Tan My hamlet, Nghia Dung commune and Tan Tien hamlet, Ky Tan commune, he was discovered and caught red-handed by the working group of Nghia Dung commune police, Tan Ky district. The working group seized in the pocket of the pants Lam was wearing a cigarette pack containing a small package wrapped in two layers of white foil, containing a white lumpy substance inside.

In the Conclusion of the appraisal No. 31/KL-PC09(MT) dated December 20, 2019 of the Criminal Techniques Department of Nghe An Provincial Police concluded: The sample of white powder in the form of a lump seized from Lam sent for examination was drugs with a mass of 0.575g. Regarding the woman named Hao who gave Nguyen Hong Lam the drugs on December 18, 2019, according to Lam's statement, the Investigation Police Agency of Tan Ky District Police conducted an investigation and verified that the woman named Hao mentioned above was Ms. Pham Thi Hao (born in 1961), residing in Dong Kho - Dong Tho hamlet, Nghia Dung commune.

During the investigation, Ms. Hao stated that she had never known Lam and had never had any transactions or exchanges with Lam, so there was not enough evidence to prosecute Ms. Hao. The Tan Ky District Police Investigation Agency will continue to investigate and clarify the case. When there is enough evidence, it will be handled later.

At the end of the trial, the panel sentenced Nguyen Hong Lam to 15 months in prison.