Mortgaged house in Hanoi to bring money to Ha Tinh to buy drugs, caught by Nghe An police
(Baonghean.vn) - Carrying on his shoulders 3 criminal records, Nghien is still not tired of "eating prison food, wearing numbered clothes". Having no money to buy drugs, Nghien decided to mortgage his house on the street...
Nguyen Phu Nghien (born in 1968), lives in Xuan Tao ward, Bac Tu Liem district (Hanoi). In 2002, 2007, and 2015, Nghien was tried in court for drug-related crimes with sentences ranging from 30 months to 8 years in prison. After serving his sentence, in April 2018, Nghien was released from prison and reintegrated into society.
Having been in and out of prison many times, Nghien often became friends with some "brothers in society". The fact that this man continued to be friends with the "brown fairy" further enhanced his "reputation" with his friends. However, his addiction to gambling and drugs caused the couple's life to be in turmoil. Nghien's wife had repeatedly advised her husband to quit his addiction and work hard, but to no avail. Helpless, this woman could only cry silently.
![]() |
Two defendants at trial. Photo: Tran Vu |
After being released from prison for more than a year, Nghien met Nguyen Doan Huan (born in 1969), residing in Thanh Khai commune, Thanh Chuong district, through friends. In the summer of 2019, because his daughter went to Hanoi for treatment, Huan asked to stay at Nghien's house. During this time, Huan told Nghien that he knew a Laotian who specialized in selling drugs and could buy as much as he wanted. Being a drug addict and wanting to get rich, Nghien immediately asked Huan to buy 1 heroin cake and 1 kg of crystal meth.
After contacting a man named Son, Huan quoted Nghien 190 million VND/1 heroin cake and 250 million VND/1 kg of crystal meth, although Son had previously quoted a lower price (140 million VND/1 heroin cake, 160 million VND/1 kg of crystal meth, plus 10 million VND for labor). Nghien agreed to transfer 350 million VND to Son in advance, delaying the debt by 100 million VND. After receiving the money, Son made an appointment with Nghien to deliver the "goods" on the evening of July 9 in Huong Son district (Ha Tinh).
As scheduled, on the evening of July 9, at the area of milestone number 23, the road to Cau Treo Border Gate, according to the previous assignment, Huan got off the car to meet the Laotian to receive the drugs, while Nghien drove another 1 km before returning to pick up Huan. After receiving the "goods", Nghien drove Huan back to Hanoi.
At around 11:45 p.m., when the car was moving to Dien Ngoc commune (Dien Chau), it was inspected by the traffic police of Nghe An province and drugs were discovered. The seized evidence was a package of Methamphetamine weighing 991.36 grams and 2 heroin bars weighing 706.16 grams in total. Thus, Nghien and Huan must both be held legally responsible for 1,697.52 grams of drugs.
![]() |
Nguyen Phu Nghien was sentenced to life in prison. Photo: Tran Vu |
In the witness stand, the two defendants admitted their crimes. Regarding the money used to buy drugs, defendant Nghien said he used the red book of the house he was living in to mortgage the bank to get 300 million VND. Nghien said: Because he had just been released from prison and did not have a stable job, and was addicted to drugs, he did so. The defendant planned to sell the drugs to "friends and brothers in society". However, Nghien's illegal business was promptly stopped by the authorities.
Exercising the right to prosecute in court, the prosecutor said that the two defendants were dangerous recidivists and needed to be severely punished. Both defendants had been in prison and were drug addicts, so they understood the suffering of drug addicts. Yet the two defendants still deliberately trafficked this deadly substance to make illegal profits. Therefore, the prosecutor proposed that the two defendants be sentenced to death.
Considering the case comprehensively, the panel sentenced Nguyen Doan Huan and Nguyen Phu Nghien to life in prison for "Illegal drug trafficking".
The fourth time he is behind bars with an indefinite sentence, will Nghien realize his mistake and try to reform, finding a chance to have his sentence reduced? As for Huan, also because of his drug addiction, he not only had to pay the price with a severe sentence under the law, but also made his wife, children, and relatives sad. Will Huan really realize his mistake this time to reform, finding a chance to return home to burn incense and apologize to his parents as the defendant stated before the court deliberated...