Sentence for the man who disguised drugs under shoe soles and functional food boxes
(Baonghean.vn) - Through social networks, Tran Anh Tai received a package from a new acquaintance. Although Tai later learned that the package contained drugs hidden under the soles of shoes and a box of dietary supplements, he did not report it to the police.
On June 30, Nghe An Provincial People's Court opened a first-instance criminal trial of defendant Tran Anh Tai (born 1982), residing in Vinh Tan ward, Vinh city, for the crime of "Illegal possession of narcotics".
According to the indictment, in mid-September 2020, through the social network Facebook, Tai met a person. This person asked Tai to send a box of functional foods and asked Tai to receive it. Tai agreed and gave his phone number.
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Defendant Tran Anh Tai received a life sentence. Photo: Tran Vu |
About a week later, Tai received the package, opened it to check and found 2 pairs of sneakers, some clothes and many packages and boxes containing blue and brown tablets and white crystals.
At this time, someone called and gave Tai 2 addresses in Macao and told Tai to divide the shoes and clothes and send them to the given addresses.
The next morning, Tai called his friend Pham Anh Tuan to ask him to send the items. Tai instructed his friend to divide the items into 2 boxes to send to the customer. Tuan contacted the postal staff to complete the shipping procedure and informed Tai that the postage was 4 million VND.
About two days later, the sender informed Tai that the pills in the box of dietary supplements were drugs. This person told Tai to keep them in case someone called and promised to pay him “so that he would not lose out”.
Then, the person instructed Tai to buy 4 pairs of shoes, pry open the insoles to put drugs in them and send them. Tai bought the shoes and followed the instructions but failed.
On the afternoon of October 22, 2020, Tuan called Tai to inform him that a package had been returned by the post office. When Tuan went to pick up the package to return it to Tai, the police checked and discovered many packages of drugs weighing more than 228 grams.
On the same day, authorities detained the person in an emergency, searched Tran Anh Tai's residence, and seized many packages of drugs contained in functional food boxes with a total weight of more than 2.1 kg.
During the investigation, Phan Anh Tuan did not admit and did not know that the package sent to Macao was returned and contained drugs, so there was not enough evidence to charge Tai. Therefore, the People's Procuracy of Hung Nguyen district decided to release Tuan.
At the trial, the defendant Tai testified that at first he only knew it was a dietary supplement and did not know it contained drugs. When the sender informed him that it was drugs, he left it at home and did not report it to the authorities because he was afraid of retaliation against his wife and children. The defendant asked the court to consider reducing his sentence because of his difficult circumstances.
Previously, in 2004, Tai was sentenced to 16 years in prison by the People's Court of Ho Chi Minh City for illegal drug trafficking.
Committing the crime with the aggravating circumstance of dangerous recidivism, defendant Tran Anh Tai was sentenced to life in prison./.