Day of redemption for fugitive who escaped abroad for 2 decades

Sold 5 heroin cakes and then fled abroad

And Gia Tenh (65 years old) was born in Tri Le commune, Que Phong district in a large family. As the 9th child, due to difficult circumstances, Tenh was not able to go to school since childhood. Illiterate, living in the highlands, with limited legal awareness, this man fell into a drug trafficking ring.

The case involving Va Gia Tenh happened 21 years ago. Around August 2004, when Tenh was at home, he heard Va Cha Tho's daughter (living in the same locality) come and ask: "Uncle, come down here and see if the customers are buying drugs. If they are, you can go with them to give them the drugs." Because of his family relationship with Tho, after hearing that, Tenh agreed.

After meeting a group of customers who asked to buy drugs, Va Gia Tenh took them to his house to try the drugs. After “checking the goods”, the group of customers agreed to buy 2 heroin cakes for 7,200 USD. In this transaction, Tenh was paid 1 million VND by Tho.

After that time, Va Gia Tenh continued to help Va Cha Tho sell drugs 2 more times. Specifically, on September 10, 2004, the same group of customers continued to come to Tho's house to buy drugs. Seeing the customers coming to buy "goods", Tho called Tenh to come over and have dinner together. During the meal, the customers asked Tho and Tenh to buy 3 heroin cakes.

At this time, Tho went into the bedroom to get drugs to sell to customers. At 10 p.m. the same day, when the group of customers left, Tenh took on the task of guiding them home.

After the incident was discovered and his accomplices were arrested, Va Gia Tenh fled to Laos, living in Vieng Thoong village cluster, Muong Quan district, Hua Phan province. During his time on the run in Laos, Tenh took a new wife. Afterwards, he lived and did business with this woman as if nothing had happened.

During his time on the run, this subject rarely returned to the country. On important occasions when he returned home, Tenh limited contact with people and was always wary of strangers. He thought that after a long time, his past and sins would be forgotten.

However, the criminal record of this subject is still being monitored by the police. On June 22, 2024, Va Gia Tenh was arrested according to the wanted decision, ending his 20-year journey of living in hiding in a foreign country.

The investigation agency determined that Va Gia Tenh must bear criminal responsibility for the act of illegally buying and selling 5 heroin cakes twice with a total weight of more than 1.7 kg of drugs. With the above crime, Va Gia Tenh was prosecuted and brought to trial for the crime of "Illegal buying and selling of drugs".

Late confession

At the new trial, the defendant repeatedly justified his crime. “Because of poverty and difficult life, I got involved in drug trafficking to receive wages. I used the money I earned to support my family and my wife and children,” the defendant stated.

The defendant also gave the reason that he was illiterate, an ethnic minority, and had limited legal awareness, so he broke the law. Through an interpreter, the defendant expressed remorse for his wrongdoings. The defendant stated that during the time he was on the run, he always felt remorseful. There were many nights when he had dreams of being arrested by the authorities. Therefore, for many years, the defendant lived in seclusion in order to avoid the police. However, now the defendant has to appear in court to pay the price for his crimes.

At the trial, the defendant presented his difficult circumstances, having many children, old age, and poor health, asking for leniency from the law. “I ask the court to consider reducing my sentence so that I can have the opportunity to return home to reunite with my wife, children, and grandchildren in my final days. I am now old and sick, and I am only afraid that I will not be able to be near my loved ones in my final days,” the defendant stated.

The defendant's plea was interrupted by emotion. Tenh has 8 children with 3 wives. But at this trial, no relatives of the defendant were present. The loneliness made the defendant bow his head throughout the entire time the panel of judges deliberated.

The panel of judges determined that in this case, the defendant had an aggravating circumstance of committing the crime twice or more. However, it is also necessary to consider mitigating circumstances for the defendant such as honest confession and repentance. Considering the case as a whole, the court sentenced Va Gia Tenh to life in prison for the crime of "Illegal drug trafficking".