Arriving at court without a trace of relatives despite having 9 siblings and 9 children
(Baonghean.vn) - As the eldest child in a family of 9 siblings, Hanh herself has 9 children, but on the day of the trial, not a single relative attended. Sadness was evident on the face of the 54-year-old defendant, thin and haggard.
Loong Van Hanh was born into a poor family of 9 siblings in the border commune of Muong Tip, Ky Son district. Due to difficult circumstances, Hanh only finished first grade and then stayed home, helping his parents with farming and hunting a few animals in the forest. When he came of age, Hanh married a woman in the same commune.
Not going beyond the local custom of “having many children and much wealth”, Hanh and her husband have 9 children together. Having many children and economic difficulties has made the burden of food and clothing increasingly heavy on Hanh and her husband’s shoulders. However, Hanh still actively participates in local activities and exchanges with Laos. But unexpectedly, a simple exchange in May 2019 pushed Hanh’s life into a miserable turning point.
It was June 18, 2019, after a trip to Laos for an exchange, Hanh was standing on the bank of the Nam Mo River in Muong Tip Commune when he saw Gia Nhia Bi (a Laotian man he had met before) standing on the other side of the border river calling out. Thinking that Bi was calling him for something, Hanh quickly waded across the Nam Mo River to meet his friend. Here, the Laotian man led Hanh to the riverbank, dug up the sand to find the drugs he had hidden.
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| Evidence of the case (documentary photo). Photo: Tran Vu |
Bi said: “There are 28 packages of pink pills hidden in rice bags down here. On June 27, 2019, you go to Muong Xen town to deliver them to a man and get 75 million VND to give to me. If the job is successful, I will pay you.” Hearing that, Hanh agreed to do as his friend said. On the morning of June 27, Hanh continued to wade across the river, to the location where Bi hid the 28 packages of drugs, waded back across the Nam Mo river to return to Vietnam. When Loong Van Hanh was standing on the road in Muong Tip commune to catch a car to deliver drugs to customers, he was arrested by the police and 545.04 grams of drugs were seized.
Loong Van Hanh was prosecuted for “Illegal drug trafficking” and was brought to trial by the People’s Court of Nghe An province not long ago. At the trial that day, the defendant wore only a short-sleeved T-shirt, revealing his thinness and paleness. In front of the witness stand, Hanh admitted to the crime as charged in the indictment. Hanh stated that because of greed, blinded by the large amount of money, while his family life was difficult, when the Lao hired him to wade across the river to transport drugs, the defendant agreed.
The defendant also said that he did not know that drug trafficking would be subject to such a high penalty under the law. Furthermore, in this case, the defendant only played a supporting role for Bi and had not yet received any payment. However, all the reasons Hanh gave were too late. With the amount of evidence seized in the case, the representative of the People's Procuracy of Nghe An province requested the panel of judges to sentence the defendant Loong Van Hanh to 20 years in prison.
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| Defendant Loong Van Hanh at the trial. Photo: Tran Vu |
In his final words, the defendant expressed remorse and asked for a lighter sentence so he could return to his wife and children. During the sentencing, Hanh sat alone in the middle of the large courtroom. At this time, the defendant continued to look down, his eyes searching for his relatives, his wife and children, but all he saw were lifeless rows of chairs.
When asked why his family did not come down, Hanh shook his head, his face sad. Then the defendant confided that being in prison when he had become a grandfather made many nights he could not sleep. If only, when Bi invited me to go to the other side of the Nam Mo River, I had been decisive and did not wade across, then perhaps I would not be sitting in this position now. Hanh confided those things with regret, too late. The two words "if only" continuously appeared in the defendant's words.
Considering the case as a whole, the court sentenced Loong Van Hanh to 20 years in prison for “Illegal drug trafficking”.
At the age of 54, having received a 20-year prison sentence for drug use, Loong Van Hanh's path back to his family has become more obscure than ever. Hopefully, during his time in prison, Hanh will cultivate his mind and reform himself to receive leniency from the law and soon return home to reunite with his wife and children.
