Drug detective 'profession'...
(Baonghean) - They are not allowed to take pictures freely, often cannot live under their real names, do not appear at award ceremonies after major projects. And especially, they are the ones who do not know fear when facing drug criminals.
Blood spilled, tears fell
After many appointments, the reporter was able to talk to Captain Dao Huu Hoang - Team Leader of Team 2, Drug Crime Investigation Police Department, Nghe An Police. The first question he asked the reporter was whether he worked for a visual or a written newspaper. If it was written, it was fine, but if it was visual, he was not comfortable working. When the reporter said he worked for a written newspaper, he explained his question by saying that people like him are taboo about filming and taking photos. Even his real name is rarely used during work.
The conversation, though just beginning, suddenly died down when the reporter mentioned Captain Sam Quoc Nghia - a police officer from Que Phong district who died on March 22 while arresting a drug criminal.
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| Captain Sam Quoc Nghia died while arresting drug criminals. Photo: Archive |
“Nghia was a drug detective who loved his job, was brave and elite. Nghia’s sacrifice was not only a loss for his family but also a great loss for the drug enforcement force in particular and the Nghe An Police in general,” Captain Hoang affirmed, adding that he did not lose heart or become weak because he saw his teammates sacrifice. That sacrifice only motivated his comrades to be stronger, more determined, and more brave in the fight against drug crimes.
After 10 years of working for the Drug Crime Investigation Police Department, Captain Hoang cannot remember how many battles he has participated in or how many people he has arrested. After all, those are just numbers. The important thing is that the drug crime situation is still complicated, people like him can only move forward, continuing to fight relentlessly against this type of reckless, daring crime.
“Drug dealers are increasingly resisting. Because they know that if they are caught and convicted, they will face the death penalty, so they are ready to fight back, just to escape. This recklessness has caused many officers and soldiers to be injured while capturing these subjects.”
For example, Lieutenant Dau Trong Cuong and Lieutenant Nguyen Van Lam (both police officers of Tuong Duong district); Lieutenant Le Van Tuan (police officer of Que Phong district), or most recently, Captain Sam Quoc Nghia sacrificed...
Although over the years, Nghe An authorities have aggressively attacked, raided, and arrested many drug gangs and criminals. However, this type of crime has not decreased. Many people still set up camps and hide in deep forest areas in border districts to organize illegal drug trafficking. Knowing that they are always being hunted down, they always have dangerous weapons on them such as grenades, AK guns, homemade guns, and knives. Whenever they are surrounded and arrested, they point their guns at the authorities and pull the trigger.
The life-and-death battles in the dark forests, in the quiet night still take place regularly without everyone knowing. And there are soldiers who shed blood, sacrificed just for the peace of society. There are tears that have fallen, regretting for their comrades who had to sacrifice when the country was no longer at war.
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| Police forces fight armed gangs of drug traffickers in the border area. Photo: Archive |
For Captain Hoang, the battle he remembers most is Project 918C in October 2018. Before the Project Board decided to open fire, Captain Hoang and many other scouts had to "lie on thorns and taste bile" for 3 months in the forest full of leeches and snails in Yen Na commune, Tuong Duong district. The mission was to monitor and grasp the rules of operation, the number of subjects as well as the number of weapons they carried.
On the night of October 26, 2018, after nearly an hour of trekking through the forest, all the reconnaissance teams were in position. From afar, 3 flickering lights, sometimes hidden, sometimes visible, were moving towards where the scouts were hiding. When these 3 subjects entered the ambush, the scouts fired into the air demanding that they surrender, but in just a split second, a series of deafening gunshots rang out. These subjects fired randomly forward without any direction.
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| The AK gun, 2 grenades and many bullets were seized by the police at the scene after breaking up Project 918C. Photo: File |
“In the dark, I heard the sound of gunfire, bullets flying past my ears. To ensure the safety of the investigation force, we decided to open fire and attack, but one subject was hit and died, while the other two quickly ran away into the deep forest,” Mr. Hoang recounted.
Never be afraid
When faced with danger, when life and death are as fragile as breathing, have you ever been afraid? Captain Hoang did not hesitate but firmly affirmed: If you were afraid, you would not be a drug detective. Then he said, to catch drug criminals, detectives have to roll around, infiltrate, go deep into the tiger's den. The most important thing is to make the drug dealers trust and not be on guard. Because with their cunning nature, they hardly trust anyone and if exposed, they are ready to kill them immediately.
“For each case and each subject, we have different professional measures. At that time, we have to be really clever but not too hasty. When the opportunity is ripe, we can separate the weapons of these subjects and then arrest them. Because the most important thing in the process of fighting a case is to ensure the safety of ourselves, our teammates and the people,” said Captain Hoang.
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| Drug dealers are equipped with many weapons, ready to fight back when surrounded and arrested. Photo: Archive |
Before each attack decision, the Task Force must sit together for days and months to plan the most meticulous combat plan, as well as anticipate possible situations. However, not every task is the same, because each task has its own unique elements, and in practice, many factors arise. However, one thing they have in common is that officers and soldiers always face danger.
“Being attacked and injured by the subject is something that I and many other teammates often have to face. Like me, there were many cases where the subject used a gun to shoot at us but luckily we missed. But luck is not always on our side,” Captain Hoang confided.
In 2019 and early 2020, Team 2, Drug Crime Investigation Police Department of Nghe An Police established and dismantled dozens of drug cases. Including major cases such as: 700kg case in Quynh Luu; 10kg, 15kg cases and 30 heroin cakes, 18kg crystal meth case in Thanh Chuong district...
Despite the difficulties and dangers, for drug detectives, once they commit to the profession, it is easy to love, to love passionately. As in the case of Captain Sam Quoc Nghia, seeing his family's difficult circumstances, the leaders of Que Phong District Police proposed many times to transfer him to another team, so that he could have more time for his family, but because of his love for the profession, Nghia refused every time. In just 5 years of working at Que Phong District Police, he continuously achieved many feats. For 3 consecutive years, Nghia achieved the title of Emulation Fighter at the base, and was one of the most elite drug detectives here.
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| Major General Nguyen Huu Cau - Member of the Provincial Party Committee, Director of the Provincial Police Department came to share and encourage the family of Captain Sam Quoc Nghia. Photo: Document |
When talking about his family, Captain Hoang smiled and said that his parents and wife were always worried about him. But to reassure his parents, he just smiled and said that he had elite teammates by his side so he would be safe. Most drug detectives come from ordinary farming families. They came to the profession with admiration for experienced detectives from their school days, to the days when they rolled around in the forest with their teammates, sharing sticky rice and pieces of meat.
They are passionate about their profession because they are indignant at the crimes of those who bring “white death” to society, and admire the sacrifices of their comrades. They rarely appear at award ceremonies after major cases; but they are always at the forefront, standing in front of the bullets and knives of the “enemy”, contributing to preserving peace and happiness for the people.