The husband went to court to see his mistress off to jail.

One day in early August 2019, Mr. Tho Lia Ch., residing in Tri Le commune, Que Phong district, was at work when he heard that his wife, Lau Thi Sua (born in 1986), was arrested by the police for drug-related activities. Also arrested that day was his niece, Giang Y Ai (born in 1998, residing in the same locality). Shocked and surprised were the feelings of this man when he heard that his common-law wife had made a mistake.

Although they were not legally bound, he put aside all his work to take care of the children and to take care of his wife’s paperwork. Because he thought that if they lived together, they had to share the ups and downs. He knew that his wife was wrong in transporting drugs, but he could not abandon her when Sua was in trouble.

Defendant Lau Thi Sua received a life sentence. Photo: Tran Vu.

This man confided that he and his mistress had two children together (7 and 5 years old). That is not to mention his wife's four other children. Therefore, the couple had six children. With little education and no stable jobs, they mainly lived on farming. Because of that, their family life was still difficult and deprived. However, Mr. Ch. always encouraged his wife to work hard on farming to have rice and potatoes to feed their children. Therefore, the bad news that his wife was arrested for drug-related crimes completely surprised and shocked this man.

Previously, at noon on August 11, 2019, Lau Thi Sua and her niece named Gia Y Ai left their home to go to the New Market area (Chau Thon commune, Que Phong district). Here, a Lao man came to talk to Ai and Sua and asked them to deliver 2 heroin cakes to a friend. At first, Gia Y Ai and Lau Thi Sua did not agree, but this person promised that if they accepted, they would pay each of them 3 million VND. Seeing the generous payment, the two agreed to deliver the above goods to the customer. The Lao man gave Ai 2 heroin cakes and gave Sua 3 million VND and told the two of them to deliver them to the customer in Cam Muon commune to receive the remaining amount.

At around 1 p.m. the same day, when Sua and Ai were going to the Pieu village area, Chau Thon commune, the Que Phong district police stopped their vehicle for an administrative check. Fearing that they would encounter the police, Gia Y Ai revealed two heroin bars hidden in his pants. The task force arrested them and made a record of the crime and confiscated two heroin bars weighing more than 700 grams.

At the first instance trial of the two defendants for the crime of "Illegally transporting drugs", while Gia Y Ai admitted to transporting drugs for money, Sua was evasive, saying: The defendant only took Ai to the market and was fined by the traffic police for not carrying documents; The defendant did not know about receiving the 3 million VND payment for transporting drugs to the customer.

Sua also stated that the defendant only took Ai to the market, but when they arrived at the market, Ai said she would take Ai for a ride and then come back to buy something. Before leaving, because Ai did not have a bag, she put 2 million VND in the defendant's pocket. When they arrived at the New Market area, the police stopped the car because the defendant did not have a driver's license. After that, the defendant went to pay the fine. Because the defendant did not have any money, when he remembered the money Ai put in his pocket, he took it out to pay.

When attending court, this man repeatedly advised his wife to confess honestly in order to receive leniency from the law. During the deliberation, when his wife asked about the children at home, Mr. Ch. always encouraged his wife to rest assured about reforming, "children, I will take care of everything at home." This man also encouraged his wife and said he would wait for the day Sua was released from prison.

The panel of judges determined that during her confession at the investigation agency and at the trial, Gia Y Ai confessed honestly and repented, so she was entitled to a mitigating circumstance. As for defendant Lau Thi Sua, during her confession at the Que Phong District Police, she admitted to transporting drugs with Ai to deliver to the Lao man for payment, but after the case was transferred to the Nghe An Provincial Police Investigation Agency, Sua did not admit to the crime.

At the trial, defendant Sua was evasive and denied the crime, so he was not entitled to the mitigating circumstance of confessing honestly. Considering the case as a whole, the court sentenced defendant Gia Y Ai to 20 years in prison and Lau Thi Sua to life in prison for "Illegally transporting narcotics".

His wife receiving an indefinite prison sentence made Ch.'s sadness even greater. However, he did not abandon this woman. After all, he and Sua still had a bond of children. Hopefully, the children would be the motivation for Sua to reform well and soon receive leniency from the law while serving his sentence.