Just finished 20 years in prison, man immediately 'excavated' opium to sell

Just out of prison and missing my old "job"

Vo Trong Thuc (born 1971) was born into a family with a revolutionary tradition in Hung Xa commune, Hung Nguyen district, when both his parents were awarded the Anti-American, National Salvation Medal by the state. Around 2003, Thuc went to Quang Tri to work on a farm in Huong Phung commune, Huong Hoa district. This is a place bordering Laos, so the drug trafficking situation is complicated. While working on the farm here, Thuc followed some people to buy drugs to sell for profit. Vo Trong Thuc bought 2 kg of opium from a Laotian and hid it on his farm.

Tran Van Chin confessed that he was addicted to gambling so when Thuc hired him to find customers to buy drugs, he agreed. Photo: Tran Vu

In 2004, Thuc was arrested and sentenced by the People's Court of Quang Tri province to 20 years in prison for illegal drug trafficking. In September 2016, Thuc was released from prison early. Returning to his hometown after a long time in prison, this man returned to the "muddy" path he had been through.

Accordingly, after returning to Hung Xa commune to live with his family for a while, Thuc remembered the amount of drugs that he had buried in the farm in Quang Tri. Therefore, Thuc decided to take a bus to the farm to "excavate" the drugs. After getting the drugs, Thuc brought them back to his house in Hung Xa commune with the thought of finding someone to sell them to.

During the time he kept drugs in his house, Thuc lived in a state of anxiety for fear of being discovered by others or the police. Despite his worries, and having just served a 20-year prison sentence for drug-related crimes, Thuc was still determined to make money through illegal means.

Birds of a feather flock together.

In October 2019, Thuc met Tran Van Chin (born 1976), residing in Nghia Thai commune, Tan Ky district, at a voluntary drug rehabilitation center in Dien Chau district. Chin was a gambling addict and had appeared in court many times for the above crime. Specifically, in 2012 and 2013, Chin was sentenced to 20 months in prison, suspended, for organizing gambling. In 2018, Chin was sentenced to 8 months in prison for gambling. Having been in trouble with the law for gambling and not having a stable job, when Thuc asked Chin to find someone to buy opium, Chin immediately agreed.

During that meeting, Thuc asked Chin to find a customer to buy 2 kg of opium for 50 to 60 million VND, and would give him some spending money. After accepting, Chin connected with some friends to find a customer. In the evening of December 25, a customer introduced by Chin called Chin to ask to buy drugs. Chin then contacted Thuc to bring out the drugs to sell to the customer. At 10 pm that same day, while Chin and Thuc were trading drugs for the customer, the police arrested them along with evidence of more than 1.7 kg of drugs.

Vo Trong Thuc expressed regret when mentioning his relatives. Photo: Tran Vu

At the first instance trial recently held by the People's Court of Nghe An province, defendant Chin claimed that he only assisted Thuc in drug trafficking. The defendant admitted that because he was addicted to gambling, he was often in debt. Therefore, when Thuc asked him to find drug buyers and would pay him 5 to 10 million VND for his services, he agreed. However, in reality, defendant Chin had not received any money from Thuc.

Meanwhile, defendant Thuc admitted that because of greed, he had just spent a long time in prison. “The 20-year prison sentence should have been a lesson for himself, and when he returned, he would live a good life and make up for his mistakes with his wife, children, and relatives. While his family has a revolutionary tradition, what do you think about your actions?”. In response to a question from a jury, Thuc fell silent and burst into tears. “I was wrong. No matter how I justify myself now, it would be useless. These are consecutive mistakes in my life. I feel very guilty towards my family, wife, and children,” defendant Thuc’s words were interrupted by tears.

The panel of judges determined that although the defendant Vo Trong Thuc confessed honestly and repented, the fact that he reoffended was an aggravating factor. Considering the case as a whole, the court sentenced Vo Trong Thuc to 20 years in prison and Tran Van Chin to 15 years in prison for "illegally trading in narcotics".