On 12/3, the Tay Ninh Provincial People's Court sentenced Tuan, 40, to life imprisonment for illegally transporting narcotic substances. He also received one year in prison for illegally possessing military weapons, resulting in a combined life sentence.
Pham Van Tien, 38, from Dong Nai, received a life sentence for the same charges.
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Dang Thanh Tuan (left) and Pham Van Tien in court. Photo: Hoang Nam |
According to the indictment, Tuan worked as a construction contractor in Cambodia from 2019 to 2022. Facing business losses and significant debt, Tuan connected with a man named Tran Phe to discuss transporting drugs from Cambodia to Vietnam.
Phe then contacted a man named Tay in Cambodia, agreeing to transport drugs for a fee of 800 USD per kg. Phe, in turn, hired Tuan for 250 USD (over 6 million dong) per kg. Phe also took on the role of lookout, monitoring the route as Tuan transported drugs from the border area to a house in Thanh Dien ward. Knowing Tien from before, Tuan invited him to assist in the operation.
On 5/11/2024, Tay and Phe contacted Tuan via phone and Telegram, informing him that "goods" would arrive late the following night. Tuan drove his car from his home in Dong Nai to Tay Ninh to pick up Tien. Early the next morning, they drove to Phe's house in Tan Hiep commune, Tan Chau district.
Phe directed Tuan and Tien to the rendezvous point for the "goods" near a cement factory in Tan Hoa commune, Tan Chau district. There, Tuan received two nylon bags containing 46 kg of drugs from an unidentified youth.
The group then went to Tuan's girlfriend's rented room in Tan Ninh ward to rest. The following midday, Tuan and Tien drove the drugs to a house in Tan Hiep ward, Hoa Thanh town, for delivery. As they moved the drugs into the house, police stormed in, subdued, and arrested them. Searching their residence and the car, authorities seized additional drug packages, one handgun, and several bullets.
The total amount of drugs seized in the case was nearly 60 kg.
During the investigation, Tuan confessed to having transported drugs for Tay 10 times over three months, from mid-8/2024 until his arrest. Each shipment ranged from 10 kg to 40 kg. After bringing the drugs into Vietnam, Tuan waited for Tay to contact him to hand them over to "shippers" for transport to Ho Chi Minh City, Dong Nai, and Binh Duong for distribution.
