The man's justification for using his lover's ambulance to 'ship' drugs
(Baonghean.vn) - Phan Thanh Lam confessed that because he was “gullible and greedy for money”, he agreed to transport drugs. Notably, Lam used an ambulance bought by his lover to commit the crime, even though he had previously been in prison for theft.
Phan Thanh Lam, 38 years old, lives in Kim Son town, Que Phong district. At the age of 20, Lam got into trouble with the law when he was sentenced to prison for theft. After serving his prison sentence, Lam returned to his hometown to marry a girl 7 years younger than him. Although the couple had a child together, they soon went their separate ways.
After the marriage broke down, by the end of 2016, Lam lived with Ha Thi Thuy as husband and wife. The two had a child together but had not registered their marriage. During their time together, in September 2021, Thuy borrowed money and bought a private ambulance from another person for more than half a billion VND. Thuy gave that car to Lam to use to transport patients to the emergency room and hospital.
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Phan Thanh Lam at the time of his arrest with the ambulance. Photo: Tran Vu |
On May 10, 2022, Lam agreed to take a woman who had just given birth from Que Phong District Medical Center to the border area between Muong Long and Tri Le communes, where he met Mua Ba Dinh. This person asked Lam to transport drugs. Lam agreed and exchanged his phone number with the Mong man.
A few days later, Dinh sent a phone number to Lam, saying that this was a customer buying drugs. From the phone number provided, Lam called many times, exchanging information about the "goods" transaction.
On the evening of May 20, Dinh met Lam, gave him a cardboard box, and told him to "take it to a customer in Quy Hop, and when you're done, you'll pay 10 million VND". Lam took the box containing drugs and put it in an ambulance, driving straight to Quy Hop district. At 10:50 p.m., when the ambulance reached the Da Quanh slope in Yen Hop commune, Quy Hop district, the police signaled to check the vehicle.
Seeing the police, Lam suddenly turned around and sped away into an empty lot, then stopped and threw the drugs on the ground. The task force asked the ambulance driver to pick them up and hand them over. Inside, they found 360 grams of drugs.
Indicted and tried for the crime“Illegal drug trafficking”, at the trial the defendant appeared sincere. Lam confessed that because he was “gullible and greedy for profit and money”, he agreed to transport drugs even though he knew that his actions violated the law. The defendant confessed that the 10 million VND was only promised and not received.
Before his arrest, Lam said he often used the ambulance to transport patients and doctors to hospitals. Because he bought the car at a time when the Covid-19 pandemic was complicated, there was not much work, leading to poverty. Greedy for money, the defendant agreed to transport drugs for hire.
When asked by the judge why the defendant had served time in prison but did not take that as a lesson for himself and instead committed the crime of transporting drugs, Lam bowed his head and mumbled his apology. Lam also stated that his girlfriend did not know that the defendant used an ambulance to transport drugs.
It is known that the investigation determined that Ms. Thuy did not know that Lam used the ambulance to transport drugs. The investigation agency returned the car to the woman. Attending the trial, this woman said that the car has now been sold.
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Defendant Phan Thanh Lam was sentenced to 20 years in prison. Photo: Tran Vu |
The panel of judges determined that the defendant's act of transporting drugs for hire was aimed at making a profit, although he had not yet received payment for the promise of successful transport, but it showed that the transport had been completed. This is a dangerous act for society, violating the State's exclusive policy of managing narcotics. The defendant himself is an adult, in good health, aware of the harmful effects of drugs and the act of transporting drugs is strictly prohibited by law, but for personal gain, he committed it intentionally and therefore needs to be severely punished.
However, mitigating circumstances for the defendant such as his honest confession and remorse should also be considered. Considering the entire case, the court sentenced defendant Phan Thanh Lam to 20 years in prison for "Illegal transportation of narcotics".
Because the trial was held online, Lam did not have the opportunity to meet her lover. The mistress also quietly left the court, returning home to continue her life as a single mother while her lover had to serve a 20-year prison sentence.