Jailed at old age for continuing to 'sell himself' to drugs

Take money from selling scrap iron to sell opium

One morning in mid-October, defendant Nguyen Thi Phuong (67 years old), residing in Chau Kim commune, Que Phong district, struggled to enter the courtroom of Nghe An Provincial People's Court. The elderly female defendant, with gray hair, had to limp due to the consequences of a previous fall. As soon as she reached the defendant's seat, she quickly turned to look at her children sitting far behind. The distance was too far, so the female defendant only looked for a moment before sadly turning back.

This is the fourth time Ms. Phuong has appeared in court. It is worth noting that all four times this female defendant committed the same crime: Illegal drug trafficking. Unlike most other defendants who often break the law at a young age, due to rashness, Ms. Phuong's life began to be entangled with the law when she was nearly 50 years old. That was in 2002, Nguyen Thi Phuong was sentenced by the court to 8 years in prison for the crime of Illegal drug trafficking.

After 1 year of being released from prison, this woman continued to make the same mistake and was sentenced to 5 years in prison. Ms. Phuong's bad "record" continued to grow when in 2011, this subject was sentenced to 9 years in prison for spreading "white death".

In 2019, Nguyen Thi Phuong finished her third sentence. After many years of living in prison, Ms. Phuong returned to her hometown to rebuild her life. This woman chose to buy and collect scrap metal to make a living. Although this job had an unstable and hard income, it at least brought her honest money. Witnessing the change in the woman who had been in and out of prison many times, her neighbors, especially her children, were very happy. But then, just a few years later, she disappointed her children and grandchildren when she was once again involved in drug-related trouble.

According to the case file, around April 2023, Nguyen Thi Phuong met a Mong man and learned that he had drugs to sell. In the following days, thoughts of buying and selling drugs kept lingering in her mind. Clicking her tongue, she decided to sell drugs again.

On May 13, 2023, Ms. Phuong contacted the Mong people to order drugs to sell for profit. After agreeing on the price and location of the transaction, Phuong hired a motorbike taxi to take her to the meeting point to meet the Mong people to buy 7 packages of drugs for 3.5 million VND. Phuong paid 1 million VND in advance, and asked to delay the remaining amount.

On May 15, Phuong took a bus, traveling hundreds of kilometers to Dien Chau district to sell drugs to a customer who had ordered them in advance. While holding 5 packages of drugs in front of the gate of Dien Thinh Commune Kindergarten, Dien Chau district, waiting for the customer to come and pick them up, he was arrested by the police.

In addition to the drugs, the police also discovered a package of heroin that Phuong had hidden in her bra when she was taken to the detention center. In addition, the authorities also discovered a package of drugs that Phuong had previously hidden in her bed. The investigation agency determined that in this case, Nguyen Thi Phuong must bear criminal responsibility for the act of buying and selling more than 116 grams of drugs.

Fourth time in prison at old age

Due to poor health and leg pain, the defendant was allowed to sit down many times during the trial to answer questions. The female defendant gave several reasons to justify her crime: her husband died, her children had their own lives, and their circumstances were difficult. “To make a living, the defendant worked as a scrap metal collector and seller. However, due to poor health, the defendant could not travel far and stayed close to home, so her income was low,” the defendant stated.

“So where did the money that the defendant used to buy the drugs come from?”, in response to the judge’s question, the defendant replied, “I got the money from selling scrap metal.” Then Phuong explained that the defendant was sick all year round, so when the Mong people told him that they had a batch of low-quality drugs for sale at a low price, the defendant bought them to sell for a small profit.

Regarding the package of drugs that the police discovered on the bed, the defendant stated that she had hidden it to sell for profit and occasionally used it to relieve pain. The female defendant repeatedly cited her difficult circumstances and illness to ask the court to consider reducing her sentence.

After hearing the representative of the Nghe An Provincial People's Procuracy exercising the right to prosecute at the trial, requesting a sentence of 20 years in prison, the female defendant appeared panicked. Defendant Phuong immediately clasped her hands and begged the court to reduce her prison sentence. "I am old and often sick, so please give me a lighter sentence, about 15 years only," Phuong told the panel of judges.

During the court session, the female defendant repeatedly bowed her head to the table, showing her fatigue. The children sitting behind her hesitated for a long time before approaching their mother. Just as she had time to ask a few questions, her daughter burst into tears. The child only had time to tell her mother to stay healthy and reform well so she could return to her children and grandchildren soon.

With the 20-year prison sentence imposed by the jury, the female defendant tried to turn her head to look at the scene of her two daughters crying their eyes out. Because of greed and lack of self-discipline, Phuong was imprisoned again and again. The fourth time in prison at her old age, making the way back home for the female defendant, who was nearly 70, become distant and unclear...