Behind the life sentence

Selling wedding gold to raise capital for trading.

Tran Van Khanh (born in 1986) was born into a large family in Thanh Long commune, Thanh Chuong district, Nghe An province. With a playful nature and a desire to earn money early on, after finishing 9th grade, Khanh followed his friends out into society to "find his place" in life. Being young and lacking skills, after a while, Khanh returned home empty-handed.

At the age of 23, Khánh met a kind and pretty girl from his village, Ms. T. (born in 1989). He fell in love with her and asked his parents for permission to marry her. Witnessing the passionate love of the young couple, everyone believed that Khánh would mature and be able to provide for his family. However, the temptations of his new life led Khánh to fall into temptation again.

In 2012, Khánh agreed to buy drugs for a friend and was subsequently arrested. The Thanh Chương District People's Court sentenced Khánh to 10 years in prison for "Illegal trafficking of narcotics." Furthermore, the money used to buy the drugs came from his friend's theft, so Khánh received an additional 30 months in prison for "Receiving stolen property."

In 2021, Khanh was released from prison and returned to his family and society. Everyone thought Khanh would mend his ways, work hard, and earn money honestly to support his wife and children. However, just one year later, Khanh was once again entangled in legal troubles, much to the astonishment of his wife, children, and family. This happened on a day close to the Lunar New Year of the Tiger 2022, when the family received news that Khanh had been arrested by the Dien Chau Traffic Police Station. Upon inquiry, they learned that Khanh was arrested while transporting over 1.1 kg of heroin to earn money for the Tet holiday.

Notably, at the Dien Chau District Police Investigation Agency, Khanh confessed that he had two gold rings weighing 4 taels each, which were mementos of his marriage, but due to a lack of funds for the "goods," he had given them all to a person in Laos as a deposit. Khanh planned to use the profit to buy them back and make up for the loss.

Tears shed at a late age...

In late July 2022, the Nghe An Provincial People's Court held a first-instance criminal trial to hear the case of Tran Van Khanh on the charge of "illegally trading narcotics." This was not the first time Khanh had stood before the panel of judges.

Despite the sweltering heat, Khánh's wife, children, and relatives arrived by car early in the morning to attend the trial. His younger children, unable to attend, stood in the hallway, occasionally glancing at Khánh. This misguided father should have been a role model for his children. Khánh must have felt deeply ashamed to let them witness this scene.

At the trial, Khanh confessed to all the acts he had committed. It was revealed that during his time serving his sentence in prison, the defendant shared a cell with Tran Anh Tai (residing in Hanoi), and they chatted and became friends.

In February 2021, after being released from prison, Khanh befriended his former cellmate, Tai, on social media. The two communicated regularly. On January 18, 2022, Tai contacted Khanh, offering him 23 million VND to transport drugs to Hanoi. Seeing the generous payment, Khanh agreed and, late that night, rushed to the area near the Thanh Thuy border gate in Thanh Chuong district to meet the Lao national.

However, to obtain the drugs, the Laotians demanded that Khanh pay a deposit. Having no money, Khanh took off two rings and gave them to the seller in exchange for the drugs. The two parties agreed that after receiving payment from Tai, the seller would deduct the money from Khanh's account.

Khanh took the drugs home, gathered some more supplies, and then took a taxi to Hanoi that night. When the taxi reached Dien Chau town, he was arrested by the police along with the evidence, which was over 1.1 kg of drugs.

When questioned by the judges about his reasons for reoffending shortly after being released from prison, Tran Van Khanh bowed his head and explained that due to the pandemic, business was difficult, and the Lunar New Year was approaching, he bought and sold drugs to earn money to give to his wife and children for the holiday.

Given the opportunity to speak his final words, Tran Van Khanh pleaded with the court to give him a chance to live so that his children could still have a father. After speaking, Khanh's voice choked up, and his eyes reddened. In his final statement, the defendant shed tears of belated remorse. During the deliberation, Khanh repeatedly apologized to his young children.

During the recess, his wife brought their youngest child closer to talk to Khanh. Seeing his children, Khanh burst into tears. Perhaps now, all he could do was repeatedly apologize to his little ones. "I'm sorry, my children, I'm sorry!" Hearing those words from their father, the children also started crying. Khanh told his wife and children to take care of their health. The defendant also didn't forget to ask relatives to help his wife and children in their lives.

With the aggravating circumstance of dangerous recidivism, Tran Van Khanh was sentenced to life imprisonment for the crime of "illegally trading in narcotics"...