Drug addict sentenced to life in prison for storing drugs for more than 10 uses a day
(Baonghean.vn) - Explaining the amount of drugs stored in the house, Nguyen Tho Hieu said that when his wife had just given birth, the baby was crying so he had to use drugs to stay awake. Every day, Hieu had to use 10-12 "doses" of drugs so he needed a large amount of drugs to... use gradually.
3 times in prison but still "old habits die hard"
Nguyen Tho Hieu (born in 1981), residing in Quan Bau ward, Vinh city, was prosecuted by the provincial People's Procuracy and brought to court for two crimes: "Illegal possession of narcotics" and "Possession of military weapons". Only Hieu's wife attended the trial as a person with related rights and obligations. It was cold, so she could not bring her child to "reunite with her husband".
In 2003, Nguyen Tho Hieu received his first sentence for “Illegal drug trafficking” with 7 years in prison. Thanks to his good behavior, in 2008, Hieu was released from prison early. Less than 2 years later, Hieu was sent back to prison with a 15-month sentence for “Abuse of trust to appropriate property” and “Theft of property”.
After being released from prison, Hieu only lived honestly for a short time before returning to his old ways, dreaming of getting rich with drugs. This time, Hieu was sentenced to 7 years in prison for "Illegal drug trafficking" in 2012. In September 2018, Hieu was released from prison. Nearly 35 years old, with 3 sentences on his shoulders, Hieu got married. Hieu's wife was young, exactly 12 years younger than her husband. This time Hieu went all the way to the South to work for hire to break away from the past, but his hands were already "dipped in the ink" and it was difficult to wash them clean, especially when Hieu had become a "disciple" of thebanned substanceThis.
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| Defendant Nguyen Tho Hieu appeared in court for the fourth time. Photo: Nhu Binh |
Going to the Central Highlands to do business, Hieu chose the Bo Y Border Gate area (Kon Tum) to start a business. The border terrain and security situation in the area bordering the three countries were complicated, so Hieu "bought" a military gun to deal with the robbers there. However, his addiction increased day by day, he burned all his money on drugs, and without any savings, Hieu returned to his hometown to make a living as a driver. When he returned, Hieu bought 220g of various drugs to bring back and use gradually.
On May 17, 2020, Hung Nguyen District Police arrested Nguyen Tho Hieu for possessing 6,000 ecstasy pills, a military gun with 4 bullets and a knife at Hieu's apartment in a luxury apartment building in Vinh City. Searching Hieu's private home, the police seized an additional 120g of crystal meth, 600 ecstasy pills, 100 ecstasy pills, 1 pistol, 1 flintlock gun, 2 ammunition boxes, 1 knife, and many other properties.
Using children as an excuse
During the investigation and trial, Nguyen Tho Hieu insisted that the amount of drugs up to 784g was stored by the defendant for his own use, not for the purpose of buying and selling. Regarding the origin of the drugs, Hieu stated that on May 16, 2020, he accepted to take a passenger from Dong Hop commune, Quy Hop district to Nghia Lien commune, Nghia Dan district. When arriving at Nghia Lien commune, the passenger asked to stop the car to go to the toilet. “The defendant waited forever but did not see the passenger return, and could not call the phone number. Thinking that the passenger had “skipped” the fare of 800,000 VND, the defendant drove back to Vinh city. On the way back, he discovered that the passenger had left behind a plastic bag, so he opened it and saw that there was a lot of drugs (567g - PV). The defendantdrug addict"So I was greedy and thought of bringing it home to use gradually because I don't always have money to buy it," Hieu said in court.
“When the defendant’s wife gave birth, she was weak and the baby was crying. The defendant had to take care of the baby all night in place of his wife, so he had todrug use"I have to use drugs continuously to stay awake. The defendant has used a lot of drugs for a long time, so his body has a strong resistance to drugs, and using a lot of drugs does not affect his health," Hieu explained. Hieu also denied storing military weapons to fight back against the authorities when discovered and arrested. Hieu repeatedly affirmed that the military weapons were purchased when he went to work in the Central Highlands to protect himself from robbers. When he moved to Nghe An to live, the defendant brought the guns with him.
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| Nguyen Tho Hieu and his wife during the deliberation. Photo: Nhu Binh |
Although the defendant's statement about the purpose of using the drugs was found to be unreasonable, during the investigation and public trial, the authorities did not have evidence to prove that Nguyen Tho Hieu had illegally bought and sold drugs.
The panel of judges determined that the amount of drugs that Nguyen Tho Hieu was storing was very large, and that the defendant was a dangerous recidivist. The defendant had a bad personal history, and although he had been convicted many times, he did not learn from it and continued to commit new crimes, showing contempt for the law. Therefore, the defendant should be permanently isolated from society.
Considering the case comprehensively, on January 15, 2021, the People's Court sentenced Nguyen Tho Hieu to life in prison for "Illegal possession of narcotics"; 3 years in prison for "Illegal possession of military weapons", the combined sentences, the defendant must serve a life sentence.