“Unwritten rules” in the drug mecca of boss Nguyen Thanh Tuan

Two days after the killing of two drug lords Nguyen Thanh Tuan and Nguyen Van Thuan, many people in Ta De village returned to their homes and returned to normal life.

Life here is still haunted by the long time since the two drug lords appeared and turned everything upside down. Many people are still haunted by the sound of gunfire and the confrontations with the drug lord and his henchmen.

Mr. Tong said that his house is located very close to the "den" of drug lord Tuan, however he rarely sees him, but mainly sees his juniors.

"Nguyen Thanh Tuan has been here for a long time. Because he is a wanted person, he did not register his residence here and rarely goes out. This land probably belongs to a household in the village, but they did not dare to chase Tuan away," said Mr. Tong.

Mr. SVL (Ta De village) confided: "Since the two drug lords came to the village, we have heard gunshots like every day. Sometimes, even while sleeping, we are startled by the sound of gunshots. Many times, we see Thuan and his followers passing by, but we do not dare to look at them and just avoid their eyes, for fear of offending them."

"I saw them passing by many times. They did not wear Mong costumes but modern clothes like trousers and T-shirts. One day, Tuan and Thuan's juniors walked shirtless in the middle of the village. They had strange tattoos on their shoulders, arms and necks," Mr. L. recalled.

The boss's "unwritten rules"

Having lived for many years in the 'drug mecca', people here are all too familiar with the sound of gunfire, especially the unwritten rules of living close to drug lords Nguyen Thanh Tuan and Nguyen Van Thuan.

Mr. T. (from Hung Yen) has been selling goods in Ta De for about 3 years now - he has met many of Tuan's henchmen, he knows and knows by heart the "unwritten rules" of living near the boss.

Because it is a sensitive area for drug trafficking, drug lords often send people to guard it, and are ready to shoot whenever they see strangers showing unusual signs.

"When passing by Tuan and Thuan's house, you must not stop your car in front of the door for too long, do not look around or show any unusual behavior... if you feel suspicious, you can easily get shot" - Mr. T. said.

This is what scares many drivers passing by, they are afraid that if their vehicle breaks down right in front of the drug lord's house, it will easily arouse suspicion.

Village chief Song A Tong shared: Being in charge of a sensitive area like Ta De, he encountered many difficulties in handling work in the village....

Since the day the superiors directed the evacuation of villagers from the dangerous area, every day, Mr. Tong personally went to each house and household to persuade everyone to evacuate to a safe place at Lung Xa cultural house.

On the day of the gun battle between the police and the drug lords, the sound of gunfire echoed through the sky, even though it was far away, people could still hear it.

“Although the authorities have destroyed a dangerous drug den in Long Luong, we are still worried because there may be other organizations like this hiding somewhere,” Mr. Tong wondered.