Wanted for 'Murder' but still setting up a drug trafficking ring

Case upon case

Le Huu My (born in 1988) was born into a farming family in Cam My commune, Cam Xuyen district (Ha Tinh). Instead of working hard to make a living, to establish himself and his career, this young man got involved in drugs at a young age. That was the reason why My was administratively punished by the People's Committee of Cam Xuyen district for illegal possession of drugs. That year, My was only 17 years old.

After his first stumble, My decided to leave his hometown and go to Binh Duong to start a career. Life in a place with vibrant development and many opportunities seemed to help My easily find a job if he knew how to seize them. However, instead of choosing a legitimate job, My turned to "two-fingered" behavior. Therefore, in 2008, My was sentenced by the People's Court of Tan Uyen District (Binh Duong) to 2 years in prison for "Theft of property".

After being released from prison, My returned to his hometown. However, his hometown and family could not reform this young man. In 2012, My was sentenced to 2 years in prison by the People's Court of Cam Xuyen district for drug-related crimes. 6 years later, when he returned to Binh Duong to live, My was once again sentenced to 2 years and 6 months in prison for "Theft of property".

After being released from prison, this young man continued to choose Binh Duong to live. It was thought that after many failures in this land, this young man would turn around and start a new life. However, My fell deeper into the wrong path. That was in June 2020, after committing murder in Binh Duong province, My immediately fled to Laos. Therefore, the investigation police agency of Binh Duong province issued a decision to prosecute Le Huu My for the crime of "Murder".

After crossing the border into Laos, the fugitive worked in construction to make a living. But then, he was not satisfied with the money he earned from this job and wanted to earn more money. My began to get to know many people, including Pham Ngoc Thang (born 2001), residing in Dien Hanh commune, Dien Chau district (Nghe An), Ha Van Nit (born 1980), residing in Muong Lat district (Thanh Hoa) and a Laotian named A Chang.

At the end of July 2022, to avoid detection by the authorities, My asked Nit to take him back to Vietnam through the forest. A month later, the Lao called My to ask. During the conversation, My ordered drugs but had not yet agreed on the quantity with A Chang. Some time later, when a customer in Hanoi "ordered" 2 kg of drugs for 400 million VND, My contacted A Chang to buy drugs. The two sides agreed to sell 2 kg of drugs for 137 million VND.

The US did not directly go to Laos to bring the drugs back, but hired Pham Ngoc Thang to pick them up. Knowing that Nit's house was near the border, the US hired this subject to guide Thang to Laos to get the "goods", promising to pay 50 million VND for each person. On August 25, 2022, after receiving 15 million VND in advance from the US, Pham Ngoc Thang took a bus to Ha Van Nit's house. At the same time, Nit received 20 million VND transferred by the US to his bank account.

The next day, thanks to Nit's help, Thang was able to go to Laos. Over the phone, My instructed Thang to give money to buy drugs for A Chang and then receive 2 kg of drugs in return. At noon on September 4, 2022, Thang arrived at the Laos-Vietnam border area and was picked up by Nit to go home to rest and eat. At 5:20 p.m. the same day, while Pham Ngoc Thang was on the bus carrying drugs, he was arrested by the police along with the evidence. Based on Thang's statement, the police arrested Nit. After learning that his two accomplices had been arrested, Le Huu My turned himself in to the police and confessed to his crime.

The investigation agency determined that in this case, the three defendants Le Huu My, Pham Ngoc Thang, and Ha Van Nit must bear criminal responsibility for illegally buying and selling nearly 2 kg of drugs.

Late Repentance

At the first instance trial of My, Thang, and Nit for “Illegal drug trafficking,” the criminal acts of the three defendants were clarified. Defendant My stated that because of greed, he bought drugs from Lao people to sell to customers in Hanoi. When questioned about the money used to buy drugs, My stated that he had saved up during his business activities in Laos.

Regarding the act of turning himself in to the police, the defendant stated that after waiting for a day, Thang did not report or bring drugs back. Suspecting that his accomplice had been arrested, the defendant turned himself in to the police in order to enjoy leniency under the law.

When questioned about his escape for “Murder”, the defendant My admitted to being involved in the murder case but did not know that he was wanted by the police. During his escape to Laos, the defendant said he worked in construction. The defendant expressed remorse and asked the court to give him a chance to live to correct his mistakes and start his life over.

The two remaining defendants in the case, Thang and Nit, both admitted that they agreed to transport drugs for the American defendant because of greed. Both admitted that they had received an advance payment from the American, so they actively transported drugs even though they knew that their actions were against the law.

The jury determined that the defendants’ criminal acts were dangerous to society, disrupted local security and order, and were the source of other crimes, so they needed to be severely punished. In this case, defendant Le Huu My committed the crime as a ringleader and had a bad personal history, so the court sentenced him to death.

For the same crime, defendant Pham Ngoc Thang was sentenced to life in prison, while defendant Ha Van Nit was sentenced to 20 years in prison. As for the drug seller A Chang and the Hanoi customer who ordered the drugs, because the defendants did not know their background or specific address, the investigation agency had no basis to prosecute...

Blinded by the illegal money, Le Huu My disregarded everything to rush into drug trafficking, even when he was wanted by the police. "Sold himself" to drugs and then when facing the strict sentence of the law, he asked for a chance to live. However, there are mistakes that even if regretted, there is no chance to correct. This is also a lesson for those who disregard the law, consider themselves to be outside the law, sooner or later will have to pay a heavy price.