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

Just out of prison and missing my old "job"

Vo Trong Thuc (born in 1971) was born into a family with a revolutionary tradition in Hung Xa commune, Hung Nguyen district, when both his parents were awarded the Medal of Resistance against America and National Salvation by the state. Around 2003, Thuc went to Quang Tri to work on a farm in Huong Phung commune, Huong Hoa district. This is an area 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 and agreed when Thuc hired him to find customers to buy drugs. Photo: Tran Vu

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

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 because he was afraid 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 in 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 been 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 customers to buy drugs and would give him 5 to 10 million VND as a commission, he agreed. However, in reality, defendant Chin had not received any money from Thuc.

Meanwhile, defendant Thuc admitted that because of greed, even though he had just spent a long time in prison. “With a 20-year prison sentence, I should have taken it as a lesson for myself, and when I return, I will live a good life, and make up for my mistakes with my wife, children, and relatives. While my family has a revolutionary tradition, what do I think about my actions?”. In response to a question from a jury, Thuc was silent and burst into tears. “I was wrong. No matter how I justify myself now, it is 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 circumstance. Considering the entire case, the court sentenced Vo Trong Thuc to 20 years in prison and Tran Van Chin to 15 years in prison for "Illegal drug trafficking".