From Thua Thien - Hue to Nghe An to buy drugs, sentenced to 12 years in prison

(Baonghean.vn) - Because he was hungry for drugs, Tung took a bus from Thua Thien - Hue to Kim Son town (Que Phong) to buy 20 million VND worth of "goods", but was arrested on the way back.

On December 28, Nghe An Provincial People's Court opened a first-instance criminal trial against defendant Tran Duong Tung (38 years old, residing in Hue City, Thua Thien - Hue) for the crime of "Illegal possession of narcotics".

Defendant Tran Duong Tung. Photo: Khanh An

According to the indictment, on the afternoon of July 19, 2017, Tung called Vi Van Nhung (residing in Chau Kim commune, Que Phong district) to order heroin for 20 million VND. Nhung agreed to sell and negotiated the transaction with Tung in Kim Son town (Que Phong district). At 8:00 p.m. the same day, Tung took a bus from Hue to Kim Son town, with the aim of buying drugs for his own use.

At 8:00 a.m. on July 20, after getting off the bus at the Kim Son town intersection, Tung made an appointment with Nhung in front of the NH.M coffee shop in Kim Son town. About 15 minutes later, Nhung arrived in front of the coffee shop and gave Tung a black plastic bag containing drugs. Tung put the drug package in his bag and at the same time gave Nhung 20 million VND.

After the transaction, Tung and Nhung went to a coffee shop to drink water, then Tung took some drugs to the bathroom to inject and use.

After that, Tung took a bus home. When the bus had gone a short distance, the Que Phong District Police signaled to stop the bus, checked it, and discovered drugs in Tung's bag. The Criminal Techniques Department, Nghe An Provincial Police, examined and concluded that the white material found in Tung's bag was heroin, weighing more than 52.2 grams.

Tung has been administratively punished twice. In 2003, Tung was sentenced by the People's Court of Thua Thien Hue province to 2 years and 6 months in prison for illegal drug trafficking; in 2014, he was sentenced by the People's Court of Huong Thuy town (Thua Thien-Hue) to 30 months in prison for illegal drug trafficking.

At the trial on December 28, Tung confessed honestly, expressed remorse and asked for a reduced sentence.

At the end of the trial, the panel sentenced Tung to 12 years in prison for illegal possession of drugs.

Khanh An