Just out of prison, 'couple of friends' get involved with 'white goods' again

Phan Van Linh (47 years old) and Nguyen Dang Hien (43 years old) were both born and raised in Da Son commune, Do Luong district. With a small age gap and living in the same locality, the two are close friends. However, this pair of friends are not interested in business and have been caught up in the law for "white goods".

In October 2016, Nguyen Dang Hien was sentenced by the People's Court of Do Luong district to 2 years in prison for "Illegal drug trafficking". In April 2018, Hien completed his sentence and returned to his hometown. Not to be outdone, in 2017, Phan Van Linh was also sentenced by the People's Court of Do Luong district to 2 years in prison for "Illegal drug trafficking". In December 2018, Linh completed his prison term.

Phan Van Linh and Nguyen Dang Hien received a total of 36 years in prison. Photo: Tran Vu

However, not long after reintegrating into life, both relapsed and dragged each other into the path of crime. Specifically, on the morning of July 18, 2019, Linh received a phone call from a man named Giang (residing in Vinh City) asking to buy about 50 - 60 million VND worth of crystal meth in exchange for 3 heroin sticks, so she agreed. After accepting the above offer, Linh called Hien to say that she wanted to exchange crystal meth for 3 heroin sticks to use and asked Hien to buy the "goods". Without hesitation, Hien agreed and called Giang A Bua (residing in Tuong Duong District) to order 60 million VND worth of drugs.

That same afternoon, the subjects met to discuss the drug exchange. After agreeing on the plan, at around 6:30 p.m., Hien took 60 million VND to Do Luong bridge to meet Bua to buy the "goods". After buying the drugs, Linh called Giang to set up a place to exchange the goods. About 30 minutes later, Hien drove Linh to the gate of VSIP Industrial Park (in Hung Tay commune, Hung Nguyen district) to meet Giang to exchange the drugs. When approaching the gate of the industrial park, Linh hid the drugs in a bush and then went to meet Giang, but he told her to wait a little longer.

After waiting for a while, Linh continued to call Giang, but he told her to wait. Therefore, the two decided to take the drugs home via National Highway 46B. At around 0:30 a.m. on July 19, when Hien and Linh went to Dai Dong hamlet, Hung Tay commune, the Hung Nguyen district working group chased them to check. The two subjects threw the drug package on the right side of the road and drove away for 100m before being arrested. The working group took Hien and Linh to the location where the drug package was thrown to search and seize 300.42 grams of Methamphetamine.

The trial of Phan Van Linh and Nguyen Dang Hien for “Illegal possession of narcotics” took place on a day in early November. In dark clothes, both stood huddled before the witness stand. The two defendants said that because they were addicted to drugs, when someone called to ask to exchange drugs for use, they decided to do it together. In court, when asked why they had just been released from prison for a drug-related crime and then reoffended, the two defendants bowed their heads and remained silent.

During the deliberation, the two defendants turned to see if any relatives were attending the trial. Photo: Tran Vu

The panel of judges determined that the actions of the two defendants were dangerous to society. In this case, both defendants had the mitigating circumstance of confessing honestly. Defendant Phan Van Linh, whose father was awarded the First Class Resistance Medal, was given additional mitigating circumstances. Considering the entire case, the court sentenced Phan Van Linh and Nguyen Dang Hien to 18 years in prison each for “Illegal possession of narcotics”.

In this case, there is Giang A Bua, who sold drugs to Hien, and a character named Giang, who agreed to exchange heroin for Methamphetamine. Because their specific background and address are not determined, the authorities have no basis to investigate and clarify.

Because of their loose lifestyle and drug addiction, Linh and Hien, two friends from the same hometown, ended up in prison together. Before leaving the court, the two defendants waved their handcuffed hands to their relatives and then trudged to the covered truck to return to prison. Having repeatedly committed the same crime, the two defendants' path back became unclear...