Light from behind

(Baothanhhoa.vn) - After each case concludes, putting aside the hardships and difficulties, police officers combating drug crimes continue their journey, facing numerous dangers, to create a society free from "white death" (heroin). They remain the same, silently and discreetly, persistently and systematically, day after day, hour after hour, closely monitoring their assigned areas from bustling cities to remote rural regions, from distant islands to rugged mountains, building fortifications to protect peace and happiness. For them, this is the light of truth, the motivation to dedicate themselves and make sacrifices.

Evidence seized in Case 724D, led by the Drug Crime Investigation Police Department, dismantling an inter-provincial and transnational drug trafficking and trading ring. Photo: Duc Hung

In Bản Ón, Tam Chung commune, on a scorching June day in the border region, it's easy to spot the remnants of a time when this place was known as the "drug capital" of Thanh Hoa province's border area. The dilapidated houses, with their sun-drenched roofs and wind-swept walls, are a stark contrast. But I saw children playing freely on the earthen porches. The village secretary and headman, Giàng A Chống, said: "We're still poor and struggling, but without drugs, our village will change for the better."

In the eyes of the young Party branch secretary and village head, Giàng A Chống, the tragic memories of the days before 2021 still linger, tearing apart countless unfortunate lives. It wasn't due to harsh natural disasters or incessant floods that buried homes, but rather the tragedy caused by drugs. Back then, drugs from across the border flowed into the village like water from a high-altitude lake. People could buy drugs more easily than buying a bunch of vegetables or a piece of meat at the district market. Nothing could withstand the "storm" of drugs—farms, cattle, money, peaceful lives, even freedom and lives.

Back then, it only cost about 10,000 dong to buy a single drug pill from across the border to satisfy one's craving. Living in the dense forests and mountains, where even food was scarce, and having to earn money to keep company with the opium addicts, young Hmong men were quickly forced to sell themselves to the devil, following the "gang leaders" and "kingpins" to transport "white powder" back to their villages and then distribute it to the lowlands.

It's not just Ón; in this border region, before 2020, one could count on one's fingers the number of drug hotspots and complex areas. No one could even count how many criminals went in and out of prison, returning to their old ways after release, spreading the deadly white powder to their fellow human beings and dragging their own flesh and blood into the depths of crime. Particularly in Tà Cóm village, Trung Lý commune, nearly half of the able-bodied men and women are addicted to drugs or involved in buying, selling, and transporting them. When they see the police, these desperate addicts are ready to heed the call of death, blindly taking up arms to resist...

Having fought and shed blood in numerous cases, and directly commanded many major operations, Lieutenant Colonel Le Khac Minh, Head of the Drug Crime Investigation Department (Provincial Police), understands very well the routes, methods, and tactics of this type of crime, as well as its "operating mechanism." With the huge demand from thousands of drug addicts in urban areas and the lowlands, these deadly drug trafficking rings continue to thrive. According to statistics, before 2020, the amount of drugs smuggled from Laos into Thanh Hoa accounted for up to 80% of the total amount of drugs seized in the province.

Lieutenant Colonel Minh analyzed: "It will be impossible to stop drug crimes if we rely solely on law enforcement. This fight requires the coordinated and effective involvement of Party committees and authorities at all levels, as well as the active participation of the people to mobilize forces and create a widespread movement. In this, the police force plays the leading and core role."

Having found the "bottleneck" to resolve the issue, scientific, systematic, and decisive approaches were developed in accordance with the spirit of Directive No. 36-CT/TW of the Politburo on "Strengthening and improving the effectiveness of drug prevention, control, and combating." In addition to advising on mobilizing the entire society, the police force effectively focused on implementing a breakthrough: "Improving the effectiveness of basic investigations in 5 areas and drug prevention and control in 3 layers along the Thanh Hoa - Hua Phan route." This also included plans and strategies aimed at "blocking supply and reducing demand," while simultaneously managing the existing number of drug addicts and relentlessly fighting, suppressing, and striking at the heart of inter-provincial and transnational drug trafficking rings both inland and in the border regions...

Since then, the "big bosses" and "kingpins" have been successively apprehended. Villages like Ón, Tà Cóm, Khằm 2... and all the drug hotspots and complex areas in the border region have been transformed, returning to their former peaceful and tranquil state. From 2022 to the beginning of this year, officers and soldiers of the Drug Crime Investigation Department of the Thanh Hoa Provincial Police have investigated and dismantled over 150 very serious and especially serious cases, broken up 52 major cases, uncovered 52 inter-provincial and transnational drug trafficking rings, seized 60kg of heroin, over 200kg of synthetic drugs, over 40 guns, and nearly 500 rounds of ammunition... This is an exceptionally outstanding achievement, not only affirming the unwavering resolve and determination in the fight against drug crime but also contributing to the "brand" of the Thanh Hoa Provincial Police.

For example, in December 2023, the Thanh Hoa Provincial Police and the Hua Phan Provincial Police successfully dismantled a joint operation codenamed VA01, arresting Va Po Vu (born in 1995), a Lao national, the ringleader of a drug trafficking network that illegally produced and sold narcotics from the Golden Triangle region to Vietnam. The seized evidence included equipment and supplies for an entire drug manufacturing "factory," as well as 4 blocks of heroin and 24,000 ecstasy pills. Similarly, in Operation 724D in August 2024, the drug crime investigation police, in coordination with other functional forces, dismantled a transnational drug trafficking ring, arresting 5 suspects and seizing over 42 kg of synthetic drugs, 30,000 ecstasy pills, and 1 kg of methamphetamine...

It's difficult to recount all the cases and battles fought by the Thanh Hoa Provincial Police's drug crime investigation force. All we know is that, behind these silent victories, many drug "hubs" in the border region have been transformed, returning to peace. And this peace was resolutely reclaimed from violent, cold-blooded thugs who, despite using firearms, fiercely resisted officers and soldiers in an attempt to continue their criminal activities. But to win, many officers and soldiers have faced life-threatening dangers. Many of them have been injured or have had to undergo treatment for potential HIV exposure...

Lieutenant Colonel Le Khac Minh stated: “Although there are still many dangers and hardships ahead, because drug criminals are constantly changing their methods, behaviors, and tactics, in this fight, the police force investigating drug crimes is no longer alone. With the companionship and determination of Party committees and authorities at all levels, and the spirit of fighting and reporting crimes from the people, Thanh Hoa will maintain its achievements in the fight against this type of crime.”

Notes by Do Duc

Source: https://baothanhhoa.vn/anh-sang-o-phia-sau-lung-257181.htm