From addiction to drug trafficking: A 20-year prison sentence for blatant disregard for the law.
Both addicted to drugs and with multiple prison sentences, two individuals in Nghe An province refused to stop, continuing their large-scale drug trafficking operation. When the deal was discovered, both received 20-year prison sentences each.
A criminal past and a vicious cycle of addiction.
Tran Ngoc Thanh (35 years old, residing in An Chau commune) and Tran Huy Ngoc (42 years old, residing in Duc Chau commune, Nghe An province) became acquainted when both had a criminal past andDrug addiction.This common ground also led the two individuals to quickly connect and slide deeper into a life of crime.
According to the case file, Tran Ngoc Thanh had a prior criminal record with various violations of the law. After serving several prison sentences, he relapsed into drug use and was convicted of illegally trafficking narcotics in 2022. Shortly after his release from prison, Thanh re-offended.
Tran Huy Ngoc is a heavy drug addict who has been sent to compulsory rehabilitation centers many times but has shown no improvement. In 2018, Ngoc was sentenced to prison for illegally transporting narcotics. Despite paying the price many times, Ngoc continued to use and sell drugs to earn money and satisfy his addiction.
With no stable jobs and addicted to drugs, both quickly ignored all warnings, disregarding the clear legal consequences. Their collaboration transformed Thanh and Ngoc from drug addicts into direct participants in the trafficking of "white death" (heroin).
On October 29, 2024, in order to obtain drugs for personal use and resale, Tran Huy Ngoc asked Tran Ngoc Thanh to buy 10 packets of methamphetamine. Thanh agreed and contacted a woman in the former Que Phong district to place an order. The stated purchase price was 40 million VND, but Thanh increased it to 50 million VND during negotiations with Ngoc in order to pocket the difference.
On the same day, Thanh took a bus to Que Phong to receive the "goods," then hid the drugs in a cardboard box he carried with him. The next day, on his way to Vinh City to visit a sick relative at the Nghe An Friendship General Hospital, Thanh carried the drugs with him. Upon arriving in the city, Thanh sent the "goods" back to Dien Chau district by bus for Ngoc to receive.
At around 10 am that same day, Ngoc received the drugs, used a portion, and hid the rest to sell gradually to addicts. Afterwards, Ngoc transferred 50 million VND to Thanh as agreed.
On the afternoon of January 6, 2025, during an interview with Tran Huy Ngoc regarding mandatory drug rehabilitation procedures, the Dien Chau District Police task force noticed unusual behavior from the suspect. In the presence of law enforcement, Ngoc dropped a plastic bottle containing numerous drug pills. Upon inspection, the police seized over 209 grams of synthetic drugs and recorded the arrest in flagrante delicto.
The sentence for those who refuse to repent.
Upon hearing that his accomplices had been arrested, Tran Ngoc Thanh fled to Lam Dong province. During his time in hiding, he concealed his whereabouts and lived in seclusion to avoid capture by authorities. In early October 2025, upon returning to Nghe An, Thanh was arrested by the police.
At the online trial, Tran Ngoc Thanh and Tran Huy Ngoc were prosecuted for the crime of illegally trading narcotics. Before the panel of judges, both admitted to the crime.
Defendant Ngoc confessed that due to severe drug addiction and lack of stable employment, she bought drugs both for personal use and to resell to others for profit. Defendant Thanh admitted to profiting 10 million VND from raising the price in this transaction. After learning of Ngoc's arrest, Thanh fled out of fear of prosecution.
The trial panel determined that the defendants' actions were particularly dangerous to society, violating the State's drug management policy and seriously affecting social order and safety. Defendant Tran Ngoc Thanh was subject to aggravating circumstances due to recidivism.
Based on the case file and related circumstances, the Trial Panel sentenced Tran Ngoc Thanh and Tran Huy Ngoc each to 20 years in prison for the crime of illegally trading narcotics.
This case once again demonstrates that, with drug offenders, any leniency or disregard for the law comes at a heavy price. When the door to rehabilitation is closed by the very person involved, a harsh sentence is the inevitable consequence.
