'The Last Shipment' concludes the downfall of a man with a long criminal record.
Despite multiple prison sentences, Bui Van Xuyen refused to reform. Along with his accomplices, Xuyen organized the buying, selling, and storing of drugs, transporting them from the mountainous regions to the city for distribution. He even concealed homemade firearms. The group's drug trafficking operation concluded with harsh sentences in a trial that attracted a large crowd of onlookers.
Shipping drugs down the street.
The trial for the illegal trafficking and possession of narcotics and illegal possession of military weapons attracted a large crowd of people, mostly relatives of the six defendants. Sadness was evident on everyone's faces as their loved ones faced legal trouble. Among the defendants, some were appearing in court for the first time, while others had served multiple prison sentences but continued their criminal activities.
The ringleader of this criminal network is Bui Van Xuyen (born in 1973, residing in Tam Hop commune, Nghe An province). Born into a poor family with eight siblings, Xuyen's education was interrupted. After dropping out of school, Xuyen worked hard and was once a support for his parents... But after a short time, Xuyen's hands were stained with various convictions.
The first sentence this man received was in 2000. That year, Xuyen was sentenced by the Nghe An Provincial People's Court to 30 months in prison for violating regulations on traffic safety.
Having previously endured imprisonment, this man soon became involved with drugs. In 2009, Xuyen was again sentenced by the People's Court of Quy Hop District (formerly) to 15 months of suspended imprisonment for illegally transporting explosives. His criminal record grew even longer when, in 2013, he received an additional 8-year prison sentence for illegally trafficking narcotics.
After being released from prison, instead of reforming, Xuyen sought pleasure in all-night parties, drinking sessions without regard for the future, and satisfying her addiction after a high on "white smoke" (heroin). Unfortunately, the quickest way to get money to party and buy drugs was to transform herself from an addict into a dealer, and Xuyen chose that path.
Accordingly, at the end of October 2024, with the intention of trafficking drugs for resale to make a profit, Bui Van Xuyen purchased one package of methamphetamine (worth 2.5 million VND) from an unknown man. Xuyen then hid it in his garden, waiting for an opportunity to sell it to customers.
On the afternoon of November 2, 2024, Hoang Van Hai (born in 1991, residing in Tam Hop commune) contacted Xuyen to inquire about buying drugs. Xuyen took a portion of the drugs she had purchased and resold it to Hai for 6 million VND.
The next day, Xuyen suggested to Hai that they take the methamphetamine they had bought down to Vinh City (formerly) to exchange it for crystal meth to sell. Hearing this, Hai agreed but took out more than 2 grams of methamphetamine, intending to sell it to someone else.
After agreeing on a plan, at around 5 PM that same day, Hai, Xuyen, and Nguyen Ngoc Lam (born in 1994, residing in Tam Hop commune) traveled together by car to Vinh City. Along the way, they decided to buy methamphetamine for personal use. Therefore, Lam contacted his friend Bui Huy Hoang (born in 1997, residing in Nghia Dan commune, Nghe An province) to ask him to buy some methamphetamine for him.
At his friend's request, Hoang called Ho Trung Hau (born in 1995) to ask if he had any methamphetamine left for Lam, and Hau agreed. Immediately afterwards, Hau put the methamphetamine into a cigarette pack and told Nguyen Van Bao (born in 1993) to give it to Lam.
At approximately 0:30 AM on November 4, 2024, when Xuyen, Hai, and Lam arrived at an apartment building in Quan Bau Ward, Vinh City (formerly), Xuyen gave Lam two pills of narcotics to use. The suspects were arrested by the police while under the influence of the drugs.
After learning that the group of people they had asked to buy drugs had been arrested by the police, Bui Huy Hoang, Ho Trung Hau, and Nguyen Van Bao surrendered to the police, admitting to their crimes.
After their arrest, Xuyen, Hai, and Lam confessed to storing drugs at their homes. Hai was also found to be involved in the storage of two homemade handguns that fired bullets at his parents' house. Therefore, authorities conducted a search and confiscated the weapons.
Paya
For the aforementioned offenses, defendants Bui Van Xuyen, Hoang Van Hai, and Nguyen Ngoc Lam were prosecuted and brought to trial for the crimes of "Illegal trafficking of narcotics" and "Illegal possession of narcotics." In addition, Hai was also prosecuted for "Illegal possession of military weapons." Meanwhile, defendants Bui Huy Hoang, Ho Trung Hau, and Nguyen Van Bao were prosecuted for "Illegal possession of narcotics."
During the court proceedings, the defendants admitted to their crimes. Bui Van Xuyen admitted knowing that buying, selling, and possessing drugs was against the law, as he had previously been sentenced to prison for drug-related offenses. However, due to frequent drug use, he became addicted and found it difficult to quit. To obtain money to buy drugs, he disregarded all consequences and violated the law. This time, Xuyen and his accomplices trafficked drugs from the mountainous region and brought them down to the city to sell to addicts.
In the case, the accomplice, defendant Hai, also confessed honestly. Hai stated that after many years of drug use, he had been unable to break free. In this case, Hai was also prosecuted for illegally possessing military weapons. According to his testimony, four years prior, he had purchased a gun from an unknown individual for self-defense. Recently, fearing discovery and prosecution by authorities, he hid the gun in the attic of his parents' kitchen. His actions were only exposed when authorities discovered it.
During this court appearance, the defendants confessed honestly and asked for leniency so they could rebuild their lives. But for Bui Van Xuyen, who has been imprisoned many times and is now pleading for leniency for the fourth time, it is difficult to know whether this repentance truly stems from an awareness of his mistakes or is merely empty words from someone with a long criminal record.
Regarding this particular offense, the court noted that defendant Bui Van Xuyen had mitigating circumstances, including honest confession and remorse. Furthermore, Xuyen suffered a lumbar spine injury, a fracture of D11 and D12 causing paralysis of both lower limbs, resulting in 81% permanent disability, and his father was awarded the Second Class Resistance Medal. After comprehensively reviewing the case, the court sentenced Bui Van Xuyen to a total of 12 years imprisonment for both offenses.
Having committed three crimes simultaneously, defendant Hoang Van Hai was sentenced by the court to a total of 14 years and 6 months in prison. Meanwhile, defendant Nguyen Ngoc Lam was sentenced to 4 years in prison. Defendants Bui Huy Hoang and Ho Trung Hau each received 18 months in prison; defendant Nguyen Van Bao received a 15-month sentence for the crime of illegally possessing narcotics.
When the court pronounced the sentences, the defendants' relatives fell silent, their eyes filled with both regret and anxiety for the future. These sentences were not just punishments, but also a costly warning about the path of drug addiction – where wrong choices can permanently end the hopes and happiness of an entire lifetime.