The young father's justification for borrowing money from a drug dealer.

"Birds of a feather flock together."

Nguyen Tien Dung (born 1989), residing in Duc Huong commune, Vu Quang district (Ha Tinh province), and Hoang Van Luc (born 1993), residing in Giai Xuan commune, Tan Ky district (Nghe An province), although not from the same hometown, are quite close friends because they both worked and lived in the South for a long time. They also share a common experience: they both had a past relationship.criminal record.

Nguyen Tien Dung confessed to borrowing money from a friend to traffic drugs. Photo: Tran Vu

While living in Binh Duong, in 2011 Dung was sentenced to 9 years and 6 months in prison for "Robbery and Illegal Detention." In early 2017, after being released from prison early, Dung chose Binh Duong again to rebuild his life. However, he relapsed into gambling and was prosecuted for this offense. He is currently awaiting trial on this charge.

Not to be outdone, Hoang Van Luc was also sentenced by the court to 12 months of suspended imprisonment for theft.

Despite having experienced life in prison, this couple did not learn their lesson. Instead, they conspired and colluded to engage in drug trafficking.

Specifically, in late July 2021, Dung contacted Luc and told him he had drugs for sale. Dung promised Luc a commission if he could introduce anyone to buy the drugs.

Following his friend's advice, Luc introduced and connected Dung to a man named Thao in Tan Ky district so that he could sell drugs. After discussions, Thao ordered 500 grams of drugs from Dung for 100 million VND.

To obtain the "goods" to sell to customers, on August 7, 2021, Dung went to the Bong market area in Vu Quang district and bought 300 grams from an unknown man for 57 million VND.

Early the next morning, Dung took the drugs and, along with his wife and children, took a taxi from Ha Tinh to Tan Ky district. Upon arriving at his wife's parents' house, Dung hid the drugs in the garden and went inside to eat. Afterwards, Dung asked Luc to drive him to Thao's house to deliver the drugs.

However, upon arriving, Thao was not home. Therefore, the two went to a dirt road area in Tan Long commune where they were stopped by the Tan Ky District Police for inspection. Seeing the authorities, Dung threw the drugs (weighing over 300 grams) into a bush by the roadside, but the police discovered it. A search of Dung's person yielded over 142 million VND.

The justification of a drug trafficker who borrowed money.

Nguyen Tien Dung and Hoang Van Luc were both prosecuted and brought to trial for the crime of illegally trading narcotics. At the trial, Dung admitted to the crime. Regarding his motive, Dung stated that he had recently brought his wife and children from the South back to his hometown to start a new life, and because of the difficult living conditions, he resorted to trafficking drugs.

The young wife of defendant Dung accompanied her husband to court. Photo: Tran Vu

“The defendant stated that he had a difficult life, so where did the more than 142 million VND come from?” the court questioned. At this point, Dung firmly asserted that the money was not related to drug trafficking. “That money was saved by my wife and me, including my earnings from work, my wife's maternity benefits, and the money from selling the shop before returning to our hometown. I intended to use that money to renovate the house,” Dung explained to the court.

"So where did the defendant get the money to buy drugs?", in response to the court's question, Dung stated, "The 57 million VND was borrowed from friends." Dung claimed he kept this a secret, so his wife and relatives were unaware. Regarding the more than 142 million VND that the authorities are currently holding, the defendant asked the court to consider returning it so that "his wife has money to raise their children...".

Dung's young wife attended the court hearing to explain their difficult family circumstances, stating that she is currently raising a young child alone. Dung's parents also submitted a petition to the court, explaining their son's difficult situation, stating that he and his wife have no assets and are currently living with them, in order to request a reduced sentence.

In addition, the court also received confirmation that the defendant Dung had previously contributed money to support the local authorities in installing security cameras and reported a gambling case to the Duc Huong Commune Police, Vu Quang District. Defendant Dung expressed remorse and asked the court to consider mitigating his sentence.

Unlike defendant Dung, defendant Luc denied the charges, refusing to admit to the drug trafficking. Luc claimed he was unaware of Dung's drug dealing activities with the customers. However, after the court proceedings, Luc eventually admitted to the crime.

The panel of judges determined that the defendants' criminal acts were dangerous to society. Both defendants had been tried before but did not learn from their mistakes, nor did they strive to improve themselves. After a comprehensive review of the case, the court sentenced defendants Nguyen Tien Dung and Hoang Van Luc to 20 years in prison each.

Upon hearing the court pronounce the 20-year prison sentence, Dung's eyes reddened, and he quickly glanced at his young wife. While Dung was giving her instructions, the judge announced that he would soon have to appear in court again for gambling offenses, causing him to burst into tears. His entire youth spent in prison was the price he had chosen, not anyone else…