Drugs disguised in cucumber bags
To avoid detection by the authorities, Quang Thi Hiep hid the packages of heroin in plastic bags containing cucumbers and bamboo shoots and sent them by bus. Nhi, although knowing that her lover asked her to go to the bus station to get the drugs, still did it out of greed. In the end, the subjects had to pay the price for their crimes.
On March 5, the People's Court of Nghe An province opened the first instance trial of the defendants: Vu Chong Po (born in 1973), residing in Tri Le commune, Que Phong district; Quang Thi Hiep (born in 1989), residing in Kim Son town, Que Phong district; Doan Tran Canh (born in 1988), residing in Nghia Hong commune, Nghia Dan district; Pham Thi Thanh Nhi (born in 1995), residing in Nghia Lam commune, Nghia Dan district; Vy Thi Tuyet (born in 1980), residing in Chau Thon commune, Que Phong district for the crime of "Illegal drug trafficking".
According to the case file, Vu Chong Po was the subject of two illegal drug trafficking acts. The first time was in October 2023. At that time, Po was ordered by Vy Thi Tuyet to buy 3 packages of pink drugs (worth 6 million VND) to sell to others.
After buying drugs from the Laotian, on the afternoon of October 6, 2023, Po gave the "goods" to Tuyet. At noon on October 8, when Tuyet had just delivered the drugs to the customer in the Doc Chuoi area, Chau Thon commune, she was arrested by the police force.
A few days later, Po tried to contact Tuyet many times but could not get through. Suspecting that Tuyet had been arrested, Po changed his phone number and escaped into the forest.
However, during this time, the man continued to buy and sell other drugs. Specifically, on May 13, 2024, when Quang Thi Hiep ordered 10 packages of pink phien (worth 24 million VND), Po went to meet the Laotian to buy the "goods".
The reason Hiep ordered the above drugs was to sell to Doan Tran Canh. The two sides agreed on a price of 45 million VND and Canh asked his lover, Pham Thi Thanh Nhi, to transfer 33 million VND in advance.
To avoid detection by the authorities, at noon on May 15, 2024, Hiep hid 9 packages of opium in a plastic bag containing cucumbers and bamboo shoots and sent it on a passenger bus. Hiep kept the remaining package of drugs for his own use and retail sale.
That same afternoon, Canh told Nhi to go to Thai Hoa town bus station to receive the "goods". Even though Nhi knew that his lover asked him to pick up the drugs, he still agreed because he was greedy for the 1 million VND fee.
In the following days, Canh sold the drugs to many addicts and took some to use with his lover.
The investigation agency determined that Vu Chong Po must bear criminal responsibility for illegally buying and selling drugs twice, with a total weight of more than 266 grams.
Quang Thi Hiep was responsible for 204 grams of drugs. Canh and Nhi were responsible for 184 grams of drugs; Tuyet was responsible for 61 grams of drugs.
At the trial, the defendants admitted to their crimes. Defendants Hiep and Tuyet confessed to buying drugs from Po even though they knew that such an act was prohibited by law.
Pham Thi Thanh Nhi stated that because she lived with defendant Canh, when her lover asked her to go get drugs, she agreed. This defendant confessed that because she was addicted, she used drugs with defendant Canh many times.
After considering the role of each defendant in the case, the panel sentenced Vu Chong Po, Quang Thi Hiep and Doan Tran Canh each to 20 years in prison. Sentenced Pham Thi Thanh Nhi to 18 years in prison and Vy Thi Tuyet to 16 years in prison, all for "Illegal drug trafficking".
