Family tragedy when mother and two children go to prison one after another

Take money from selling pigs... to sell heroin

That was the confession of defendant Trinh Thi Song Huong (born 1965), residing in Quang Phong ward, Thai Hoa town, at the first instance trial for the crime of “Illegal drug trafficking”. This defendant stated that the 15 million VND used to buy drugs came from the previous sale of piglets.

Also at this trial, Huong's drug trafficking behavior was clarified. According to the indictment as well as the defendant's testimony at the trial, early in the morning of November 21, 2021, Huong was at home when she saw a woman named Yen come to discuss trading drugs to sell for profit. Huong agreed, so she went into the house to open the safe and took 15 million VND, then went with Yen to buy drugs on her motorbike.

Defendant Trinh Thi Song Huong confessed that she sold drugs because of debt. Photo: Tran Vu

In the mountainous area, Huong gave 15 million VND to a young man she did not know to buy drugs. About 2 hours later, the seller took out a plastic bag containing drugs and dropped it on the road, then told Huong to pick it up. After receiving the "goods", Huong asked Yen to take her home. However, on the way, Huong was arrested by the police with more than 47 grams of drugs as evidence.

When asked by the court about the purpose of drug trafficking, Huong said "due to debt pressure". Huong told her story: The defendant's family was unfortunate when the eldest son unfortunately contracted a terminal illness. To treat the son, the defendant's family mortgaged the red book to the bank to borrow 200 million VND for the son to take medicine. When the debt was due, the defendant had not been able to pay it, so he was afraid that the bank would seize his house. Therefore, when Yen came to discuss and invite him to drug trafficking, the defendant agreed.

When questioned by the court about the money used to commit the crime, the defendant stated: “My family had just sold a herd of piglets so they kept them in a safe. That day, when Yen invited me to go trading, I didn’t think much about it and immediately opened the safe and took all the money I had to sell the pigs.” The female defendant justified her crime because of her limited legal awareness. However, the Trial Panel reminded her of her justification because this was the second time she had committed the crime. Furthermore, her two children are currently serving prison sentences for different crimes.

Family tragedy: mother and 2 children both go to jail

In front of the witness stand, Huong presented her family's situation to ask the court to consider reducing her sentence. According to Huong, her two children (1 boy, 1 girl) are currently serving their sentences. When mentioning her children, the female defendant wiped away her tears. Huong said that about 5 or 6 years ago, her first son, born in 1986, was sent to Vinh city to learn a trade. However, when this son returned from the city, he was already carrying the disease of the century and passed it on to his wife. Not long after that, that son was arrested for drug-related crimes and sentenced to 30 years in prison. "Since my son went to prison, I have visited my son several times to encourage him. But now I no longer have the opportunity to visit him," Huong expressed her remorse.

Huong appeared sad when mentioning that her two children were also in prison. Photo: Tran Vu

Not only was the first child in trouble with the law, but the second daughter of Huong and her husband was also sentenced to prison. Therefore, both of the defendant's children are currently serving their sentences. When asked if she had any thoughts or regrets about her two children being in prison but her mother still "following in her footsteps", Huong remained silent and bowed her head. The defendant said she was "very sad" and always felt guilty towards her husband. "During my detention, my husband came to visit me. He didn't say much, just told me to correct my mistakes," Huong said.

At this trial, Huong’s husband was not present. The female defendant sent her husband a message of apology to his hometown, and hoped that he would try to take care of her five grandchildren while her parents were in prison.

After the trial, the panel of judges determined that the defendant's actions were dangerous to society. Although the defendant knew that drug trafficking was illegal, he still did it, showing disregard for the law and therefore should be severely punished. However, it is also necessary to consider some mitigating circumstances for the defendant, such as honest confession and remorse. Considering the case in its entirety, the panel sentenced defendant Trinh Thi Song Huong to 15 years and 6 months in prison for illegal drug trafficking.

In this case, according to the defendant's testimony, Yen is also present. However, Yen did not admit to the crime and said that Huong only asked her to take her to buy a pair of buffaloes and cows for slaughter, and did not know about Huong's drug trafficking. The investigation agency conducted a confrontation between Huong and Yen about the above content but could not clarify whether Yen participated in drug trafficking or not. Currently, Yen is not present in the area, so the investigation agency will verify and investigate to clarify later.

Huong was once sentenced to 7 months in prison for "Theft of property". The second time she went to prison when she was nearly 60 years old and had become a grandmother, Huong's way back became distant. That was also the price this woman had to pay for her disregard for the law. Now she has a lot of time to reflect on herself and feel guilty about not fulfilling her responsibility as a good example for her children to follow. Because the childrenis a mirror reflecting the actions of parents, the words and behaviors of parents, the people closest to them, will be very easy for children to remember, imitate and follow.If adults do not yet have the awareness to set an example for their children, then we cannot expect to have future generations of kind and exemplary citizens./.

Tran Vu