Just out of prison and already 'taking' drugs to satisfy addiction

On May 18, 2022, Nghe An Provincial People's Court brought defendant Vo Huu Quyen (born in 1983, residing in Nham Son commune, Do Luong district) to the first instance trial for the crime of "Illegal possession of narcotics".

Defendant Quyen at the trial. Photo: An Quynh

In court, Quyen confessed that around October 2021, Quyen got to know Thuong - a drug dealer in Tuong Duong.

Around December 2021, Quyen contacted Thuong to negotiate the purchase price of 5 packages of pink phien for 10 million VND and 1 package of crystal meth for 2.6 million VND. Thuong agreed and promised Quyen to deliver the "goods" in Tuong Duong district.

On the morning of December 16, 2021, Ho Viet Long (Quyen's friend) came to Vo Huu Quyen's house to play and was asked to take him to pick up "goods" but Quyen only said he was going to work. Long agreed to take his friend to an address in Luong Minh commune, Tuong Duong district.

Upon arrival, Quyen called Thuong and then continued inside, a distance away from where Long was standing, to get the goods and then turned back to go home.

But when they arrived at Cua Rao 1 village, Xa Luong commune, Tuong Duong district, they were discovered and caught red-handed by Tuong Duong district police. Through testing, they found 97 grams of pink drugs and 20 grams of methamphetamine.

It is known that at the time of his arrest, Vo Huu Quyen had just served a 9-year prison sentence for “Robbery” by the People’s Court of Ho Chi Minh City. Previously, in 2013, due to illegal drug use, Quyen was sent to the Binh Trieu Social Reception Center.

When asked by the panel of judges at the trial about the consequences of dangerous recidivism, Quyen just kept silent and bowed his head. Surely after facing the law many times, the subject fully understood the harm of continuing to reoffend.

Lawyer representing Vo Huu Quyen. Photo: An Quynh

Quyen's defense attorney argued that although Quyen was a dangerous recidivist, he had confessed honestly and confessed when arrested. That was considered a mitigating circumstance for Vo Huu Quyen.

As for Ho Viet Long, because Quyen asked him to take him but he did not know that the purpose was to get white goods, he is not criminally responsible. As for the man named Thuong, because his background is unknown, there is not enough evidence to verify and clarify.

The People's Court decided that Vo Huu Quyen must serve a 16-year prison sentence for "Illegal possession of narcotics".