Sentenced to prison for trafficking over 400 mortar shells.
Driven by greed, Vo Van Phap ordered 420 artillery shells from abroad. He then resold the shells to various individuals in Nghe An province at a price three times higher than the original cost.
On March 26, the Nghe An Provincial People's Court held an appeal hearing for defendant Vo Van Phap (34 years old, residing in Nghi Hoa commune, Nghi Loc district) on the charge of "Trafficking in prohibited goods"
According to the case file, in May 2023, Vo Van Phap contacted and ordered 420 firecracker mortars (each containing 36 firecrackers) for 84 million VND from a man from his hometown who worked in Thailand.
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In October 2023, Pháp received the "shipment." He hid the fireworks in an empty plot of land near his house. After some time, fearing discovery, Pháp asked someone to find another place to hide the fireworks.
On November 14, 2023, France sold 160 mortar shells to a man in Cua Lo town for 104 million VND. In addition, France also sold 20 mortar shells to a woman, earning over 37 million VND.
Six days later, the customer in Cua Lo placed another order for fireworks, so Phap gathered his accomplices to help load the "goods." While the suspects were transporting the fireworks for sale, they were discovered and arrested by the police. During the search, authorities seized the remaining fireworks. In this case, Phap and his accomplices are responsible for 420 kg of fireworks.
Subsequently, the trial court sentenced the defendant Vo Van Phap to 10 years in prison for the crime of trafficking in prohibited goods. Considering the sentence to be too harsh, Phap appealed for a reduction in his sentence.
At the appeal hearing, the defendant expressed remorse and asked the court to consider reducing the sentence so that he could return to his family and take care of his children sooner.
The defendant presented new evidence, including having previously saved someone from drowning and having received confirmation from a welfare institution in Yen Thanh district that the defendant had helped people in difficult circumstances, in order to request a reduced sentence.
The appellate court accepted the defendant's appeal, amending the first-instance judgment from 10 years to 8 years and 3 months imprisonment for defendant Vo Van Phap.
