The two defendants at the court on Thursday in the southern province of Tây Ninh. — VNA/VNS Photo

TÂY NINH — The People’s Court of Tây Ninh Province on Thursday sentenced two defendants to life imprisonment for “illegal transportation of narcotic substances” under Clause 4, Article 250 of the Penal Code.

Accordingly, Phạm Văn Tiến, 38, from Long Bình Ward in the southern province of Đồng Nai, was sentenced to life imprisonment for the offence.

Another defendant, Đặng Thanh Tuấn, 46, from Tân Ninh Ward in the southern province of Tây Ninh, received a life sentence for “illegal transportation of narcotic substances” under Clause 4, Article 250 of the Penal Code, and an additional one-year prison term for “illegal possession of military weapons” under Clause 1, Article 304 of the Penal Code. After combining the penalties, the court ruled that Tuấn must serve a life sentence.

Under the indictment issued by the People’s Procuracy of Tây Ninh Province, between 2019 and 2022 Tuấn worked as a construction contractor in Cambodia.

After suffering financial losses, he decided to take part in drug trafficking in order to repay his debts.

Tuấn subsequently established contact with a man named Trần Phê, from Tân Đông Commune in Tây Ninh Province, to form a drug-smuggling ring transporting narcotics from Cambodia into Việt Nam for distribution.

The operation was allegedly directed by an individual known as Tây, whose identity and background remain unknown, and who is believed to reside in Cambodia.

Within the network, Phê was responsible for liaising with Tây to receive the drugs and for acting as a lookout during transportation.

Phê agreed to transport the narcotics for a fee of US$800 per kg, and then hired Tuấn to move the drugs from the border area to a storage location for $250 per kg, keeping the difference.

In mid-October 2024, having previously known Tiến, Tuấn invited him to Tây Ninh Province to assist with transporting the drugs.

At around 10am on November 5, 2024, the man known as Tây telephoned Tuấn to inform him that a shipment of drugs would be transported into Việt Nam the following evening.

Phê later contacted Tuấn via the Telegram messaging application, instructing him to prepare to receive the consignment.

That evening, Tuấn drove a car bearing registration number 70A-534.49 from his home in Thống Nhất Commune, in the southern province of Đồng Nai, to Tiến’s rented room in Ward 4 of Tây Ninh City, Tây Ninh Province to inform him of the plan.

In the early hours of November 6, 2024, Tuấn drove Tiến to the home of Phê in Tân Hiệp Commune (now part of Tân Đông Commune), Tây Ninh Province.

Following Phê’s instructions, Tuấn and Tiến travelled to an area near the Fico Cement Factory in Tân Hòa Commune, Tây Ninh Province, to collect the drugs from an unidentified young man.

There, Tuấn received two nylon bags containing around 46kg of narcotics and placed them in the car. After collecting the drugs, the pair returned to the rented room of Tuấn’s girlfriend in Tây Ninh City to rest.

At around 10am the same day, Tuấn and Tiến drove the vehicle carrying the drugs to a house in Hiệp Long neighbourhood, Hòa Thành Ward, to store them.

As the two defendants stepped out of the car and prepared to bring the drugs into the house, police from the Tây Ninh Provincial Police’s Drug Crime Investigation Division discovered and arrested them in the act.

During the inspection, police seized two nylon bags inside the car containing multiple cardboard boxes and rectangular blocks suspected to be narcotics.

Officers also found a metal pistol and four bullets in the storage compartment in front of the passenger seat.

An urgent search of the house used as the storage site uncovered additional nylon packages containing crystals, tablets and solid substances suspected to be drugs, along with various related items.

According to forensic conclusions by the Criminalistics Office of Tây Ninh Province’s Police, the total amount of drugs seized in the case was nearly 60kg, including methamphetamine, ketamine and MDMA.

A separate forensic assessment conducted by the Institute of Criminalistics in HCM City determined that the seized firearm had features and functions similar to a military weapon. It was identified as a rubber-bullet gun that had been modified to fire 9x17 mm ammunition, while the 11 rounds seized were military-grade bullets.

During the investigation, Tuấn admitted that from mid-August 2024 until his arrest he had transported drugs for the man known as Tây around 10 times, with each shipment ranging from 10 to 40kg. The narcotics were then stored at the house in Hòa Thành Ward while awaiting distribution to buyers in HCM City, Đồng Nai and Bình Dương.

The trial panel concluded that the defendants’ actions were particularly dangerous to society. Tuấn’s illegal possession of a military weapon was also deemed to have negatively affected local security and public order.

After considering the case in its entirety, the trial panel of the court handed down the above sentences to the two defendants.

As for Trần Phê, who is currently absent from the locality, investigators have issued a search notice in order to continue handling the case.

Other related individuals, including the man known as Tây, have not yet had their specific roles determined, and the investigation has therefore been separated to allow further verification and clarification. — VNS