Bringing drugs to 'pay' for his father's hospital bills.

(Baonghean.vn) - Kien took a taxi to the hospital to visit his father, but upon seeing the police, he threw the drugs onto the road in an attempt to escape punishment. Caught red-handed, Kien still prevaricated and refused to admit his actions.

On the morning of March 31, the Provincial People's Court sentenced Hoang Anh Kien (born in 1975, residing in Hoa Hieu ward, Thai Hoa town) to 12 years in prison for the crime of "illegally possessing narcotics".

Defendant Hoang Anh Kien. Photo: Nhu Binh

According to the indictment, on October 10, 2016, Hoang Anh Kien went to his sister's house to get 7 million VND to pay for his father's hospital bills in Vinh City. Kien called a taxi to take him to Yen Ly intersection (Dien Chau).

Upon reaching the Yen Ly intersection, suspecting he was being followed, Kien told the driver to pull over to the side of the road and quickly threw a black plastic bag out. At this point, the Coast Guard Region 1 noticed suspicious activity and quickly drew up a report and searched the car.

Upon inspecting the plastic bag, police discovered several small packets containing a white powder, later identified as 69.65 grams of heroin hidden inside a shampoo bottle. A search of Kien's residence yielded an additional 1.25 grams of heroin carefully concealed under the bed.

Hoang Anh Kien was prosecuted for the crime of "illegally possessing narcotics".

However, during the investigation and public debate in court, Kien was evasive and did not admit to possessing 69.65 grams of heroin in the taxi, only admitting to illegally possessing 1.25 grams of heroin at his private residence.

However, based on the record of the crime caught in the act, the documents collected during the investigation, and the testimonies of witnesses, the Panel of Judges concluded that the Provincial People's Procuracy's indictment of Hoang Anh Kien for illegally possessing 70.9g of heroin was correct in identifying the perpetrator, the crime, and the applicable law.

Hoang Anh Kien was a heavy drug addict. In 2002, Kien was sentenced to 8 years in prison by the Nghia Dan District People's Court for drug-related offenses. After his release, Kien relapsed into drug addiction and was sent to compulsory drug rehabilitation, but he still could not quit heroin.

The panel of judges determined that Hoang Anh Kien had a bad criminal record, committed a crime of exceptional danger, and lacked sincerity… therefore, a harsh sentence was necessary to serve as a deterrent.

Nhu Binh