Wife follows husband into jail after debt collection attempt.
After her husband went to prison, Hoang Thi Ha single-handedly raised her two young children by working as a beautician. The job provided her with income and social connections. However, it was through these connections that she fell into legal trouble after agreeing to let a man settle a debt with drugs.
Husband just went to prison, wife follows suit.
With her fair skin, tall stature, and delicate features, few would guess that the defendant, Hoang Thi Ha (born in 1995), residing in Nghi Kieu commune, Nghi Loc district, is already the mother of two children. While her two accomplices, Tran Van Duong (born in 1993), residing in Long Thanh commune, Yen Thanh district, and Hoang Van Duc (born in 1995), residing in Nghi Kieu commune, had many relatives attending the trial, Ha was alone on the day she was brought to trial by the Provincial People's Court for the crime of illegally trading narcotics.
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The reason is partly because the defendant's family is small, and partly because Ha's husband is currently serving a prison sentence. According to Ha, more than a year ago, her husband was sentenced to 4 years in prison for theft. While her husband was serving his sentence, Ha visited him, encouraged him to reform well, and return to his wife and children soon. But now, Ha is following in her husband's footsteps and going to prison.
The reason this young woman went down the wrong path stemmed from her acquaintance with a man named Dung, from Quang Tri province. While providing cosmetic services to clients, Ha met Dung and lent him 30 million dong.
When the payment deadline arrived and Dung hadn't paid, Hoang Thi Ha took a bus to Quang Tri to demand payment. Upon meeting, Dung said he didn't have the money and suggested giving Ha five packets of methamphetamine to settle the debt. Ha agreed, accepted the five packets, and then took a bus back to her hometown. Afterward, she hid the drugs at the edge of a rice field, waiting for an opportunity to sell them.
On May 25, 2024, Hoang Van Duc contacted Ha to inquire about purchasing drugs. At that time, Ha stated that she had 5 packets of methamphetamine, selling them for 28 million VND. Later that day, at noon, at the foot of the overpass at the intersection of Nghi Trung and Nghi Long communes in Nghi Loc district, Ha sold over 93 grams of methamphetamine to Duc.
The drugs that Duc bought were resold to Tran Van Duong for 30 million VND. Duong then further divided them into smaller portions, selling 5 ecstasy pills to customers for 500,000 VND each. Tran Van Duong was arrested by the Yen Thanh District Police while attempting to sell 10 ecstasy pills. A search of Duong's residence yielded the remaining drugs.
Expanding the investigation, on September 27, 2024, the police arrested Hoang Van Duc. As for Hoang Thi Ha, she was arrested by the police in an emergency situation on November 6, 2024.
At the trial, the defendants admitted their crimes. Defendants Duc and Duong confessed that they trafficked drugs out of greed. Duc reportedly profited 2 million dong from the transaction.
During questioning, the defendant Ha testified that she did not intentionally traffic drugs. However, because the debtor asked to settle the debt with packages of drugs, she agreed. The female defendant expressed remorse for her wrongdoing.
Regret and fear that the child will become spoiled.
At the trial, when mentioning her two children, aged 11 and 5, Ha's voice choked up. The female defendant stated that she missed her children very much during her detention. Therefore, she looked forward to the day of the trial to see her children after a long period of separation. However, on that day, her relatives and children were not present.
The future and education of her children were also a major concern for the female defendant. Ha stated before the court that her actions were wrong, but she asked the court to consider reducing her sentence. Her husband is currently in prison, and now she is also about to go to prison. She fears her children will become delinquent without adult supervision and guidance.
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During the brief recess for deliberation, Ha revealed her difficult circumstances. Because her paternal grandparents had passed away, her maternal grandfather had suffered a stroke, and her maternal grandmother was in poor health, her two young children were currently being cared for by her sister-in-law.
“I was wrong for not learning from my husband’s example. As a mother, I failed to fulfill my duties, committing wrongdoings that led to my imprisonment, leaving my children orphaned. The price I have to pay is too high,” Ha said, her voice choked with emotion, regretting her mistakes and worrying about her children’s future.
The female defendant's remorse came too late, as she received an 18-year prison sentence. This was also the sentence for the other two defendants in the case, Tran Van Duong and Hoang Van Duc, for the crime of illegally trafficking narcotics.
As the trial concluded, the female defendant repeatedly turned her head to look for her children one last time, but they were nowhere to be seen. Following her husband through the prison gates left the future of her young children uncertain.
