Young Mong man sentenced to 11 years in prison for drug trafficking

(Baonghean.vn)- Standing in court, Lau Ba Chia said that due to difficult circumstances, he agreed to go into drug trafficking. As a drug delivery man, Chia was paid 2 million VND.

On the morning of May 13, the Provincial People's Court opened a public first-instance criminal trial of the drug trafficking case against Lau Ba Chia (born in 1986, residing in Pha Xac village, Huoi Tu, Ky Son).

Lau Ba Chia was the fourth child in a family of five. His father died early, and the family had many siblings, so Lau Ba Chia could not go to school. Chia grew up farming and trapping wild animals to earn a living. Poverty and hunger constantly haunted Chia's family.

Ba Chia Tower

Poverty breeds thieves, so Chia went to rob. In 2011, Chia was sentenced to 39 months in prison by the People's Court of Ky Son district for robbery. On August 30, 2013, Chia completed his prison term early, returned to his hometown, got married, and had children.

A life based solely on rice and corn farming became even more difficult when Chia's wife gave birth. With a young child and a foolish wife, Chia was frantically thinking of ways to earn money to support his family. But in Huoi Tu, finding a job that made money was even harder than reaching heaven.

Taking advantage of Chia’s desperation, a group of people approached and enticed Chia to join the illegal drug trafficking ring. After more than 3 years in prison, Chia knew better than anyone the price he would pay if he embarked on this path, but the pressure and desperation of life made Chia close his eyes and take the plunge. Because Chia was a “newbie”, he was not allowed to participate in drug exchanges and transactions.

Chia's job was to receive drugs from his accomplices and deliver them to customers. If the transaction was successful, Chia would be paid 2 million VND. 2 million VND was indeed a huge amount of money for Chia and his family at that time.

On the morning of December 10, 2015, Chia received a phone call from Ho Nhia Ka (residing in Huoi Khe village, Huoi Tu commune) telling him to go to Huoi Thang village to receive heroin to sell to a customer in Vinh city. A moment later, Vu Ba Tong (residing in the same village) came to Chia's house to take him to Huoi Thang to receive the drugs.

In a forest in Huoi Thang village, Lau Ba Chia was given a plastic bag containing 26 packages of heroin (worth 195 million VND) by Lau Xia Sua. He divided the drugs into his shirt pocket and went with Lau Xia Sua, Ho Nhia Ka, and Vu Ba Tong to meet the customer. When they arrived at the meeting place, while both sides were checking the goods, the police raided and caught them red-handed. Lau Ba Chia was caught holding 26 packages of heroin, the remaining subjects took advantage of the chaos to escape into the forest.

The forensic conclusion of the Institute of Criminal Science showed that the amount of pink meth seized in the case weighed 480.93 grams, with a Methamphetamine content of 13.2% to 18.6%.

Lau Ba Chia's trial was quick because Chia admitted to his crimes as stated in the indictment. Chia's wife and children lived too far away and had no money so they could not come down.

Since Chia was arrested, his family has not had the opportunity to visit him. Standing before the court, Lau Ba Chia said that due to limited legal awareness and difficult circumstances, he committed the crime and expressed his wish to receive leniency from the law so that he could soon return to his wife to raise their children and care for his elderly mother.

Considering the case as a whole, the panel sentenced Lau Ba Chia to 11 years in prison. Due to difficult family circumstances, the panel decided to exempt the defendant from a fine.

In this case, Lau Xia Sua, Ho Nhia Ka, and Vu Ba Tong are also on the run. The investigation agency has issued a nationwide wanted notice. The drug buyer's background is unknown. The investigation agency is continuing to verify the case. When they are caught, they will be dealt with later.

Nhu Binh