Picked up drugs to sell, 'profited' 20 years in prison
(Baonghean.vn) - Picking up a package of drugs hidden in a bush along the river, Lo Thi Chien (residing in Tuong Duong district, Nghe An) brought it home to store. While selling it to a customer, Chien was arrested by the police.
On March 23, the Provincial People's Court opened a first-instance criminal trial of Lo Thi Chien (born in 1967), residing in Minh Phuong village, Luong Minh commune (Tuong Duong) for the crime of "Illegal drug trafficking".
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| Lo Thi Chien at the trial. Photo: Nhu Binh |
The indictment stated that at noon on December 7, 2019, Chien waded across the river to get firewood and discovered a black plastic bag in the bushes. He opened it and found 7 packages of drugs, including 4 packages of pink phien, 2 packages of heroin and 1 package of crystal meth (total weight of nearly 120 grams). Chien brought it home and hid it in the chicken coop to find an opportunity to sell it. At dawn on December 11, 2019, a customer called to buy drugs, Chien made an appointment to go to the village entrance to make the transaction. While showing the goods to the customer, Con Cuong District Police discovered and arrested him.
At the trial, Lo Thi Chien admitted to the crime as charged in the indictment. Chien said that due to difficult family circumstances, her husband had passed away and she was raising a sick child, so when she picked up the drugs, she was greedy and hid them to sell. In 2007, Lo Thi Chien was sentenced to 7 years in prison by the People's Court of Nghe An province for the same crime.
Considering the aggravating and mitigating circumstances, the People's Court sentenced Lo Thi Chien to 20 years in prison.
