The torment of a fugitive for 16 years

Leading customers across Nam Mo river to buy drugs

The trial of Khun Van Duong (born 1976), residing in Ta Ca commune, Ky Son district, for the crime of“Illegal drug trafficking”The incident happened quite quickly when the defendant confessed and admitted his crime. Duong also recounted his entire 16-year journey to Laos to escape the arrest warrant. The defendant also shared his regrets and remorse towards his family.

According to the indictment, the drug trafficking case in which Duong participated occurred 17 years ago. On October 15, 2005, while Duong was at home, two women, Lu Thi Tam and Lo Thi Thuy, came to ask them to take them to Laos to buy drugs. Because Duong had relatives living there, he agreed.

Defendant Khun Van Duong in court. Photo: Tran Vu

After that, Duong used a car tire as a buoy to cross the Nam Mo River, taking the two guests to his brother Khun Van Dien's hut (in Noong Het district, Xieng Khouang province, Laos) and asked someone to buy drugs. After that, Dien alone led the two guests to meet Lao people and bought 2 heroin cakes for 9,200 USD (equivalent to more than 146 million VND). Afraid of having to pay a high fee, the two women lied that they "could not buy drugs" and only paid Duong and Dien 100,000 VND.

After selling all the drugs, on October 22, 2005, Lu Thi Tam went alone to meet Duong and Dien to continue asking them to take her to Laos to buy drugs. With the help of Duong and his brothers, Tam was able to buy 2 heroin cakes (more than 700 grams) for 9,200 USD. In this transaction, Tam paid Duong and his brother 400,000 VND each.

The next day, while Tam was delivering drugs to a customer, he was arrested by the police. Based on Tam's testimony, the Nghe An Provincial Police Department arrested and prosecuted the suspects involved in the case. Upon hearing that the case had been exposed, Duong fled to Laos.

On November 3, 2021, Khun Van Duong was arrested under a wanted warrant at the Nam Can International Border Gate (Ky Son District). The investigation agency determined that in this case, Duong was responsible for buying and selling more than 700 grams of drugs.

Late regret

When asked by the jury about his behavior of leading people to Laos to buy drugs, Duong stated that “because of his low education and limited legal awareness, when the two women asked him to lead them to buy drugs, he agreed.” The defendant stated that the first time he led them, the two guests gave him 100,000 VND. He took that money home to buy food for his family. The second time he led them, he was paid 400,000 VND. Duong stated in court that “they gave him whatever he wanted, he accepted without asking for anything.”

Regarding his act of fleeing to Laos for 16 years, the defendant confessed that “when I heard that my brother was arrested, I was so scared that I fled to Laos until I was arrested by the police at the end of 2021”. “I feel very remorseful and ask the court to consider reducing my sentence so that I can soon have a chance to rebuild my life and return to my elderly parents”, Duong said in his final words.

Duong expressed remorse for his crime. Photo: Tran Vu

During the court's deliberation, Duong confided about his 16-year ordeal as a fugitive. "After getting addicted to drugs, I fled to Laos to live with an acquaintance. When I left, my child was just over 1 year old. Seven years later, I heard that my wife had remarried and left the area with her child. The feeling of a father abandoning his child has haunted me for many years," Duong confided.

During his time on the run, Duong made a living by doing various jobs, from farming to construction. Life as a fugitive, Duong shared, was “always filled with fear”. The worries and torment in his heart made him lose sleep many nights, but he did not dare to face the law.

“During the years I was hiding there, I missed my family back home very much but did not dare to go back to visit them. What I feel most guilty about is my child. When I ran away, he was just over 1 year old, and when I was arrested, he was almost 18. If I had not run away and dared to face the law, my marriage would not have broken up, and I would have had the chance to make it up to my child, but it was too late,” Duong said, wiping away tears with his handcuffed hands.

The defendant also expressed his sorrow that since his arrest, he has not had a single visit from his relatives. Until the day of his trial, he still has not seen his relatives come to see him. Sentenced to 17 years in prison for illegal drug trafficking, Duong sighed: “My biological father and stepmother are old, and my wife now has a new family. I just hope that while I am in prison, my relatives will come to visit me once like other prisoners. That will be a great source of spiritual encouragement for me...”.