Fierce drug 'battles' on Nghe An border
(Baonghean) - The fight against drug crimes has long been a fierce battle, but it is even fiercer in border areas. This battle has both blood and tears... but in return is peace for the people.
Gunfire in peacetime
Having just returned not long after successfully destroying Project 918C phase 3 with his teammates, Lieutenant Colonel Tran Dinh Vinh - Deputy Head of the Drug Crime Investigation Department of Nghe An Provincial Police still cannot forget the moment of the gunfight with the drug lord with a special wanted warrant, Lo Van Thi.
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| Lo Van Thi - notorious drug lord, wanted by special warrant. Photo: NH |
According to Lieutenant Colonel Vinh, the area chosen by the subjects to buy and sell drugs was on top of Pu Lom hill, surrounded by rugged mountains and forests. From the foot of the hill to the mountain about 250m, Thi and his juniors built 4 shacks, the purpose was for addicts to come buy drugs, then use them right in the shacks; each shack was assigned a few trusted subjects equipped with guns to keep watch, making it very difficult for strangers to approach. Therefore, to capture this boss was not simple at all.
Lo Van Thi (born in 1963, residing in Dua village, Luong Minh commune, Tuong Duong district) has long been called the boss by local addicts. In addition to the cunning and cunning of a long-time addict, Thi is also a supplier of goods to hundreds of other addicts. This has allowed Thi to gather dozens of trusted followers under his command, ready to sacrifice themselves for the "boss".
This boss had set up many camps on high mountains, equipped with firearms to organize drug trafficking. The police had planned to arrest him many times but were unsuccessful because the terrain was too rugged and the subject was too reckless. In the face of such a formidable subject, an armed struggle was planned by Nghe An Provincial Police.
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| The number of firearms that Thi always carries with him for self-defense and to fight back when surrounded and arrested. Photo: NH |
At around 12:45 p.m. on May 8, Nghe An police mobilized many officers and soldiers from the Drug Crime Investigation Police Department and Tuong Duong District Police to surround and attack the gang led by Thi. Lieutenant Colonel Vinh, one of the people directly present at the gunfight, recounted that Thi and his followers fought back fiercely, the sound of gunfire echoed loudly in the quiet mountain forest. It took many hours for the scouts to approach Thi's camp and capture the subject alive.
“In that moment, in the fragile boundary between life and death, all we had was hatred for the person who had destroyed the peaceful lives of so many families and so many destinies. That was the motivation that helped us overcome difficulties to fight,” Lieutenant Colonel Vinh shared.
Over the years, under the fierce attacks of the police and border guards, drug traffickers at the border were arrested, shot dead, and had to flee to Laos to hide. Up to now, there are only about 10 large drug trafficking hotspots in the border areas.
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| Police forces continue to fight armed groups of drug traffickers in border areas. Photo: PX03 |
With the determination to arrest, hunt down, and expel these subjects from the border area, the anti-drug forces in Nghe An have carried out many large-scale armed struggles since the beginning of 2019. The most prominent leaders such as Sua (a Laotian); Bi Vang (a Laotian); Lau Giong Long and his wife Ho Y Co (residing in Huoi Thang village, Huoi Tu commune, Ky Son); and Pa Co (residing in Bac Ly commune, Ky Son district) were successively eliminated and arrested...
For peace for the people
In fact, the fight against drug crimes in the border areas of Nghe An has never been less “hot” for many years. This is because this area has many ethnic minorities living, often going to Laos to visit relatives and work. Many people due to difficult family circumstances and limited awareness have been lured and enticed into transnational drug trafficking and transportation lines.
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| The shack near the scene - where Sua used to rest in the forest. Photo: PX03 |
The situation became more complicated after the police force cracked down on drug crimes in the Northwest region, many criminals shifted their activities to the border areas of the North Central provinces, focusing on Nghe An.
These subjects chose Vietnam as a transit point for drugs from Laos, then transported to a third country for consumption. Therefore, since the beginning of April 2019, the Ministry of Public Security has launched a campaign to propagate and suppress drug crimes along the Vietnam - Laos border.
Nghe An is one of the units that fights fiercely and most effectively against drug crimes along the border under the direction of the Ministry of Public Security. In the coming time, Nghe An Police will continue to launch armed attacks against drug criminals, thereby contributing to preventing, repelling and restraining drug crime activities in the area.
According to the leader of Nghe An Provincial Police, due to Laos' proximity to the "Golden Triangle" - the source of all kinds of drugs, especially synthetic drugs in the form of crystal meth, they use all means to bring drugs into Vietnam. In particular, drug criminals are always ready to use "hot" weapons to fight back when discovered and arrested. Because they know that, with the act of transporting and trading large quantities of drugs, when arrested, they will be subject to the highest sentence of death, so they fight back even more fiercely.
This recklessness caused many officers and soldiers to be injured while capturing these subjects. For example, Lieutenant Dau Trong Cuong and Second Lieutenant Nguyen Van Lam (police officers of Tuong Duong district); Lieutenant Le Van Tuan (police officer of Que Phong district)...
The most seriously injured was probably Captain Nguyen Dinh Tai, a reconnaissance officer at Nam Can Border Post, Nghe An Border Guard. Nearly a year ago, Captain Tai was shot during the arrest of Vu Ba Xenh (born in 1979, residing in Tay Son Commune, Ky Son, a teacher at Tay Son Secondary School) while transporting 20 heroin cakes, 7 kg of crystal meth and 12,000 synthetic drug pills from Laos to Nghe An. To rescue Xenh, his accomplices fired many shots at the police force, causing Captain Tai to be seriously injured, paralyzed in both legs and forced to move around in a wheelchair.
This is not the first time and probably not the last time that the anti-drug force has to shed blood against this type of reckless and daring crime. Because as Lieutenant Colonel Tran Dinh Vinh - Deputy Head of the Drug Crime Investigation Department of the Provincial Police shared, although the raids are all carefully built with possible situations, under the invisible bullets of drug traffickers, no one can predict anything.
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| Nghe An police broke up Project 319, destroyed a drug trafficking ring from Laos to Vietnam and China for consumption, arrested 3 subjects, and seized 700 kg of crystal meth. Photo: PX03 |
“The scouts who participated in the investigation were all carefully selected. They were intelligent, brave, elite, and steadfast, ready to sacrifice themselves for the peaceful life of the people. Although we had a very thorough plan, before each investigation, we always determined that it could be the last battle,” said Lieutenant Colonel Vinh.
More than anyone else, the officers and soldiers directly fighting against drug crimes understand that the fight against drug crimes will be very persistent and fierce, and every time there is a special case, they must continue to "go into battle" to bring a peaceful life to the people.
From the beginning of April 2019 to now, Nghe An Provincial Police have arrested more than 120 drug crimes, more than 160 subjects, seized 710 kg of drugs, many guns of various types... Typically, on April 17, Nghe An Police broke up Project 319, eliminated a drug trafficking ring from Laos to Vietnam to China for consumption, arrested 3 subjects, seized 700 kg of crystal meth.