Death sentence for man who went to Laos to buy drugs owing over 2 billion VND
(Baonghean.vn) - To have drugs to deliver to customers, Lang Van Thai went to Laos to buy more than 7 kg of drugs on credit for more than 2 billion VND.
On the morning of October 17, Nghe An Provincial People's Court opened a first-instance criminal trial of defendant Lang Van Thai (born 1981), residing in Phuc Son commune, Anh Son district, for the crime of "Illegal drug trafficking".
During the investigation, Lang Van Thai confessed that due to an agreement to buy and sell drugs with a man named Phuong (residing in Thanh An commune, Thanh Chuong district), on January 11, 2019, Thai went to Laos to buy on debt from a man named May Van (residing in Phi La village, Xay Kham Phon district, Bolikhamxay province, Laos) 8 heroin cakes, 4 packages of crystal meth and 15 packages of pink phien.
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| Defendant Lang Van Thai. Photo: Tran Vu |
On the evening of January 17, Thai brought the drugs home and hid them in the grass, then called Phuong to agree on a delivery location. On January 18, Thai brought a backpack containing the drugs and hired a taxi to take him to km 742 of Ho Chi Minh Road in Thanh An Commune, where he hid the backpack of drugs in the bushes on the side of the road.
Around 10 p.m. the same day, Phuong went to the meeting place to meet Thai. After checking the drugs, Phuong told Thai to go meet Phuong's friend to check the money, so Thai continued to hide the backpack of drugs in the bushes along the road and then went to a motel in Thanh Thuy commune, Thanh Chuong district.
When they met, this person said he was going to see and get drugs, while Phuong stayed at the motel to deliver the money, so Thai called his younger brother Lang Van Thi to go to the area where the drugs were hidden to take him home.
At around 2am on January 19, Thi arrived at the meeting place, Thai gave the backpack to Phuong's friend and Thi to hold, while Thai drove the motorbike back to the hotel to receive the money. When Thai entered the room, he was arrested by the police and taken to the scene where the backpack containing the drugs was for inspection and sealing of the evidence.
The evidence seized from Lang Van Thai was 2,804.78 grams of heroin and 4,254.87 grams of Methamphetamine.
Before this trial took place, the People's Court of Nghe An province brought the defendant Lang Van Thai to trial. At the trial held on August 22, 2019, Thai did not admit to the crime as charged in the indictment. Thai stated that the drugs did not belong to him.
In response to the minutes of confessions when he was first arrested and throughout the investigation process presented by the court, Thai claimed that he had made such statements and signed them due to panic and being forced to confess. Therefore, the court decided to return the file and reinvestigate the case.
However, at this trial, the defendant admitted all his crimes. Lang Van Thai confessed that he had committed drug trafficking because of greed. In his final words, the defendant asked for a chance to live.
The panel of judges determined that the defendant’s actions were dangerous to society. The defendant trafficked a large amount of drugs, so a severe penalty was needed to serve as a deterrent and general prevention.
Considering the case comprehensively, the People's Court sentenced Lang Van Thai to death for the crime of "Illegal drug trafficking".