Retribution for the notorious drug lord.

(Baonghean) - To conceal his drug trafficking activities, Luong Ba Duy designed and dug a system of tunnels through the mountains. Only when Duy was arrested did his official wife realize his true nature, so she quietly left behind their infant child...

Attending the trial of Luong Ba Duy (born in 1986, residing in Na Khom village, Yen Na commune, Tuong Duong district) were his parents, a few relatives, and his 17-month-old son. When asked where the boy's mother was, she replied while comforting her grandson: "When Duy was arrested, he left immediately, leaving the baby for his grandparents to raise."

In the courtroom, the mother carried her child in, pleading earnestly with the police officers escorting the prisoner so that the father and son could see each other. The mother's pleading eyes and the child's innocent smile softened the officers' hearts. They made an exception and allowed the boy to see his father for a brief moment. A young officer took the boy from the mother's arms and carried him to the area where the defendant was sitting so the father and son could meet. Unlike the father's eagerness, the boy was frightened and clung tightly to the police officer. He seemed completely unfamiliar with even his own father!

His child wouldn't let him hold her, so Luong Ba Duy could only hug and kiss her chubby cheeks before slumping into a chair. Perhaps more than ever, he understood the price he had to pay for the crime of trafficking in deadly drugs. During those days of fulfilling his dream of getting rich through drugs, Duy didn't care how many families he had shattered, how many innocent children had become orphans or separated from their parents. And it was that same deadly pleasure that led him to prison, caused his wife to leave him, and his newborn child to be separated from the warmth of his parents' embrace. His small family was shattered…

Duy's son was brought back to his father, but the child refused to be held, forcing the police officer to return him to Duy's mother.

Born and raised in the drug-ridden heartland of Tuong Duong district, Duy became involved with drugs at a young age. In 2010, Duy was sentenced by the Tuong Duong District People's Court to 26 months in prison for illegally trafficking narcotics. Thanks to good behavior during his imprisonment, Duy was released before serving his sentence.

One might have thought that much time would be enough for Duy to repent and mend his ways. However, old habits die hard, and Duy quickly returned to his path of illicit enrichment. At the end of 2014, through social connections, Luong Ba Duy sold two blocks of heroin to Truong Quang Thanh and Pham Van Nhien (residents of Quang Nam province) for 41.5 million VND. Upon returning with the drugs, Thanh and Nhien were discovered and arrested by the Nghe An Provincial Police.

Fearing that Thanh and Nhien would expose him, Luong Ba Duy fled his home. The police issued an arrest warrant, but Duy remained missing. After some time, he returned and established a drug retail system right in his house. This time, Duy was more cautious, keeping all his actions related to drug transactions and sales completely secret.

Under the pretext of renovating his house, he secretly designed and transformed it into a fortified bunker with a mountain-crossing escape system. He also hid numerous guns and ammunition inside, ready to fight his way out should authorities surround him. Duy also carefully installed three cameras in three corners of the house, allowing him to monitor any activity outside, however small, from within his bunker.

Then Duy got married. His wife was very young, just over 18 years old. While his wife was pregnant, Duy had an affair with a woman in Yen Tinh commune. He traveled back and forth between the two houses during his drug trafficking trips. Strangely, neither woman knew who the other was. He managed to hide it from his family and from both women, but his activities couldn't escape the notice of the anti-drug forces of Tuong Duong District Police. However, catching Duy was not easy because Luong Ba Duy never let go of his gun, mines, or grenades.

By the afternoon of June 21st, Duy was at his "common-law" wife's house in Cap Chang village, Yen Tinh commune (Tuong Duong district). Preoccupied with his second wife, Duy didn't notice that the "cowherds" were actually experienced detectives from the Tuong Duong District Police who had raided the place and arrested him unexpectedly.

It was only then that Duy's parents and wife were shocked when the police arrived to search the house, discovering and seizing a large quantity of drugs, guns, grenades, etc. Knowing that with nearly 800g of drugs, numerous weapons, and a warrant for his arrest, Duy's return was still a long way off, and feeling resentful for being deceived, as soon as the police finished the search, Duy's wife quietly left, abandoning their young child, who was just over a year old.

Due to the extremely serious nature of his crime, which constituted a dangerous recidivism, Duy was sentenced to life imprisonment. As he was being escorted to the vehicle, Duy tried to look at his son, but the boy was terrified and hid his face in his mother's chest. He stifled a sigh, then bowed his head and walked away silently.

Nhu Binh