Having just been released from prison, the trio teamed up to traffic drugs again and received life sentences.
Thành, Hoài, and Minh met while in prison. After their release, they contacted each other to buy and sell drugs. The deal was exposed, and all three ended up in prison with indefinite sentences.
On January 10th, the People's Court of Nghe An province opened a first-instance trial to hear the case against three defendants charged with illegally trading narcotics. The defendants are: Nguyen Phu Long Thanh (born in 1976), residing in Van Chuong ward, Dong Da district, Hanoi; Vi Xuan Hoai (born in 1954), residing in Luong Minh commune, Tuong Duong district; and Kha Van Minh (born in 1977), residing in Xa Luong commune, Tuong Duong district (Nghe An).
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According to the case file, the three defendants knew each other from their time in prison. In March 2023, after being released from prison, Thanh took a bus to meet Hoai and ordered 3 blocks of heroin and 20 packets of methamphetamine to sell in Hanoi. However, because Thanh asked to buy on credit, Hoai refused to sell.
Two months later, Thanh contacted Hoai again to inquire about buying drugs. They agreed on one block of heroin for 120 million VND and 2 million VND for each packet of methamphetamine. Thanh paid 170 million VND upfront.
On the afternoon of May 15, 2023, Hoai went up the hill behind her house (in Dua village, Luong Minh commune) to buy 3 blocks of heroin and 16 packets of heroin on credit from an unknown man. After purchasing the drugs, Hoai brought them home and hid them.
Two days later, after receiving the money transferred by Thanh, Hoai called Minh and hired him to deliver the "goods" for a fee of 5 million dong. Minh agreed and took the drugs to deliver to Thanh.
After purchasing the drugs, Thanh intended to bring them back to Hanoi to sell. However, en route, he was arrested by the police on a passenger bus on the night of May 18, 2023.
Expanding the investigation, on January 10th and 15th, 2024, the police in Nghe An province arrested and searched the homes of Vi Xuan Hoai and Kha Van Minh.
The investigating agency determined that defendants Nguyen Phu Long Thanh, Kha Van Minh, and Vi Xuan Hoai are criminally liable for the act of buying and selling more than 1.3 kg of drugs.
At the trial, all three defendants admitted to the crime. Defendant Thanh testified that because he knew Hoai from his time in prison, after being released he borrowed money from relatives to buy drugs for personal use and "sold them to whoever wanted to buy them."
Defendant Hoai testified that due to a stroke, she wanted to traffic drugs to earn some money for her old age. Defendant Minh admitted to actively assisting the two defendants in the case because she was greedy for a profit of 5 million dong.
At the trial, the defendants expressed remorse and asked the court for a chance to live.
Considering that in this case the defendants committed crimes with aggravating circumstances, namely recidivism and a large quantity of drugs, the court sentenced Nguyen Phu Long Thanh, Vi Van Hoai, and Kha Van Minh to life imprisonment.
