Addicted to drugs, 18-year-old pays the price with 15 years in prison
Just turned 18 years old, Vi Minh Hieu got into trouble with the law for drug trafficking. Hieu had to pay for his crime with a 15-year prison sentence.
On August 13, Nghe An Provincial People's Court opened a first-instance criminal trial of defendant Vi Minh Hieu (born 2006), residing in Dien Lam commune, Quy Chau district, for the crime of "Illegal drug trafficking".
According to the investigation agency's documents, through social relationships, Hieu met a man named Nam (unknown background and address). On March 20, Nam called Hieu to order 3 packages of pink drugs, priced at 7.5 million VND.
To get drugs to sell to customers, the next afternoon, Hieu took a bus to Tri Le commune, Que Phong district and walked up the hill. There, Hieu bought 3 packages of pink phien from a Mong man for 4.5 million VND.
At the same time, Hieu received a phone call from Nam asking if he had bought the drugs yet and to set up a time and place for the transaction.
At around 9pm the same day, when Hieu and a customer were buying and selling drugs at a motel in Chau Quang commune, Quy Hop district, they were discovered by the Working Group of the Criminal, Economic and Drug Crime Investigation Police of Quy Hop district police, who caught them red-handed with more than 64 grams of drugs. Taking advantage of the loophole, the customer who bought the drugs escaped.
At the trial, the defendant admitted to the crime. The defendant said he sold drugs for profit. Regarding the money to buy drugs, Hieu said he got it from working for hire.
The defendant presented his difficult circumstances, being an orphan, dropping out of school early, being an ethnic minority with limited legal awareness, to ask the court to consider reducing his sentence.
The panel of judges determined that the defendant's actions were dangerous to society. The defendant was fully aware that drug trafficking was a violation of the law, but still committed it, showing contempt for the law. Considering the entire case, the court sentenced defendant Vi Minh Hieu to 15 years in prison for "Illegal drug trafficking".