Presenting her case to the court regarding the reasons for her wrongdoing, Truong Thi Thuy Van broke down in tears: "I am distressed and disheartened because 11 years have passed, and I still haven't been fortunate enough to experience motherhood..."
On the morning of May 30th, the Thach Ha District People's Court held an online trial to hear the case of Truong Thi Thuy Van (born in 1985) and Tran Quoc Phung (born in 1987), both residing in Tien Bo village, Tan Lam Huong commune, on the charge of "illegally possessing narcotics".
The defendant's justification for the reasons behind his crime, though purely personal and unconvincing, still prompted much reflection among those in the courtroom.
Truong Thi Thuy Van and her husband, Tran Quoc Phung (born in 1987, residing at the same address), were tried by the Thach Ha District People's Court for the crime of "illegally possessing narcotics." Previously, at 10 PM on January 11, 2023, during an inspection, a task force from the Thach Ha District Police discovered narcotics hidden in the couple's house. Because Phung confessed that the narcotics belonged to him, the task force apprehended him red-handed.
Subsequently, on January 12th, 13th, and February 22nd, the Thach Ha District Police Investigation Agency conducted an urgent search of the couple's residence, seizing drugs hidden in various locations within the house. At this time, Truong Thi Thuy Van confessed that she had hidden the drugs for personal use.
According to the forensic report, the couple concealed 120.3138g of synthetic drugs, including methamphetamine and MDMA. Van illegally possessed 102.845g, while Phung concealed 17.4688g. During questioning at the first-instance trial, the couple clearly and explicitly recounted the events of their crime. However, when asked about the reasons for their downfall, Phung became pensive while Van burst into tears. The question from the panel of judges seemed to touch a raw nerve. “I am frustrated and helpless because I’ve been married for 11 years, but since then, I haven’t had the opportunity to fulfill my role as a mother…” Van sobbed.
Defendant Van answers questions from the representative of the prosecution.
Twelve years ago, Van and Phung had the chance to meet and get to know each other. After a short time, their love blossomed, and just one year later (2012), the young couple decided to get married, much to the joy of both their families. Their home would be even happier with the laughter of little "angels." However, one year, two years, and then eleven long years passed, and that seemingly simple wish remained unfulfilled.
According to Tran Quoc Phung, during the long years of searching for complete happiness, instead of actively working, doing good, and having hope, both husband and wife became depressed and tried to fill their sorrow with drugs. Van explained that she was suffering from the aftereffects of an accident and wanted to use drugs to alleviate the pain.
More importantly, due to their long-standing infertility problems and unsuccessful treatments over a long period, both Van and Phung gradually became discouraged and lost faith in life. As a result, the couple lost themselves and fell into depravity.
The panel of judges questioned the defendants.
During the questioning and debate phase, the panel of judges and the representative of the prosecution analyzed and clarified the criminal acts of each defendant. Truong Thi Thuy Van and Tran Quoc Phung sincerely admitted their mistakes.
Given the opportunity to speak her final words, Van hoped that the judges would consider giving her the lightest possible sentence so that she could have a chance to rebuild her life and continue her unfinished journey in search of happiness.
The verdict of the Thach Ha District People's Court, with a total sentence of 20 years in prison for two defendants for the crime of "illegally possessing narcotics," serves as a warning to each of us that happiness only comes to those who know how to wait with the most positive attitude towards life.
Duong Vinh
Source
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