Just released from prison and sold heroin, sentenced to 15 years in prison

(Baonghean.vn)- On November 24, Nghe An Provincial People's Court opened a criminal trial, the first instance trial of the case of illegal drug trafficking against Lo Thi Thu (53 years old), residing in Luong Minh commune, Tuong Duong district.

According to the indictment, on the morning of September 9, 2016, Thu was at home when she received a phone call from a young man named Ca asking to buy heroin. During the phone call, Thu agreed to sell a brick of heroin for 25 million VND, and when she had the drugs, Thu would call Ca to come and get them.

Defendant Lo Thi Thu at the first instance trial.

That same afternoon, Thu asked Hoang Van Tuyen (residing in Luong Minh commune) "do you have heroin for sale? Someone is asking to buy it", but Tuyen replied that he did not have any at the moment.

At 8:00 p.m. on September 9, Tuyen brought Thu a heroin stick and told her that the heroin had not been weighed yet and was worth 22 million VND. Thu accepted the heroin stick and promised "when I sell it, I will return the money".

At around 1 a.m. on September 10, Ca went to Thu's house to buy a heroin tree when the Drug Crime Investigation Police Department (PC47), Nghe An Provincial Police, in coordination with the Ban Ve Hydropower Plant Police Station and Tuong Duong District Police, surrounded and arrested him. However, Ca took advantage of the darkness to escape. Thu was arrested with a heroin tree (weighing 34.74 grams).

According to Thu's statement, the police had issued an emergency arrest warrant for Tuyen, but Tuyen was not present in the area, so the police continued to investigate and clarify the case later. As for Ca, because his background and address could not be determined, there was no basis for investigation and clarification.

At the trial, Thu confessed honestly and showed remorse.

Thu was sentenced to 7 years in prison by the People's Court of Tuong Duong district for illegal drug trafficking. She completed her sentence and was released in 2014 without having her criminal record cleared. Thu's husband, Nguyen Van Hoa (born in 1963), is currently serving a prison sentence in Quang Binh province.

Khanh An