Case files

Danger of recidivism in drug crimes

CAM GIANG December 2, 2024 08:00

The rate of drug addiction relapse is very high, leading to many consequences and other types of crimes, including in Hai Duong.

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Subject Bui Huu Quan was arrested by Thanh Ha District Police while possessing drugs (documentary photo)

Again and again

It took us a long time to convince Mr. NVN, who is living in Hai Duong City, to agree to tell us about his time as a drug addict and his violations of the law related to drugs.

Mr. N. is nearly 60 years old this year and has been a drug addict for about 30 years. He has been in prison three times, once for theft and twice for drug trafficking. The time he was in prison for theft was also because he was a drug addict and needed money to satisfy his addiction, so he committed the crime.

About 30 years ago, Mr. N. was doing business in a province in the Central Highlands. Once, while buying drugs for personal use and retail, he was discovered and imprisoned. Mr. N. said that at that time he was not "deeply addicted" so he hoped that going to prison would be an opportunity to quit.

However, after being released from prison, Mr. N. continued to follow his friends into addiction, going through rehab and then back to addiction countless times. Mr. N. still does not know when he will be able to quit drugs.

At the end of September, the public was shocked by the news that the Kien Thu gold shop in Xuan An village, Thanh Khe commune (Thanh Ha) was robbed. Because the reckless behavior of the subject and similar incidents almost never happen in Hai Duong.

On the evening of September 22, Nguyen Xuan Duy (born in 2002 in An Liet 3 village, Thanh Hai commune, Thanh Ha) rode a motorbike to the aforementioned gold shop and used a box cutter to threaten and assault the staff to rob the gold. The subject was caught by this person and the shop owner.

Duy is a drug addict who is being subject to a 1-year drug user management measure.

Also in Thanh Ha district, on November 11, on Provincial Road 390B in Zone 6, Thanh Ha town, the police discovered Bui Huu Quan, born in 1974 in Cam Lo, Tan Viet commune (Thanh Ha) riding a motorbike without a helmet. When checking, Quan was found to be hiding heroin and a set of drug paraphernalia on his person.

Lieutenant Colonel Tran Hoai Nam, Deputy Chief of Thanh Ha District Police, said that Quan had a previous conviction for drug possession and had just returned from compulsory drug rehabilitation. In Thanh Ha, the number of compulsory drug rehabilitation cases in 2023 was 23, and in 2024 it was 22, most of which were relapse cases.

According to the Criminal, Economic and Drug Police Team (Cam Giang District Police), during the investigation and handling of cases, many subjects were identified as being or having been involved in drugs.

In particular, in drug cases, most addicts are identified as relapsers after rehabilitation, luring others into addiction.

On October 4, 2024, the Investigation Police Agency of Cam Giang District Police initiated a case and prosecuted 5 suspects for the crime of buying, selling and organizing illegal use of drugs that occurred on September 29, 2024 in Nhi Chau Ward (Hai Duong City) and Lai Cach Town (Cam Giang).

The leader of the Criminal Police, Economic and Drug Team said that on September 29 alone, the above subjects were discovered to have organized illegal drug use 3 times and organized drug trafficking 1 time. Most of the subjects had a history of drug addiction.

Severe consequences

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Some subjects and evidence in the drug case discovered and arrested by Binh Giang District Police (photo provided by the police agency)

Reality over the years has shown that drug users and relapsers have been and will be the cause of other types of crimes.

To satisfy their addiction, addicts are willing to commit any illegal act to get money to buy drugs.

At a number of conferences summarizing drug prevention work, reports from a number of provinces and cities showed that the relapse rate in some localities was about 90%, causing the number of addicts to not decrease and the fight against drug prevention to encounter many difficulties.

The Drug Crime Investigation Police Department (Hai Duong Provincial Police) has just dismantled a group of people who were buying and selling synthetic drugs with a quantity of about 1.8 kg in Hai Duong City, arresting Phung Van Chinh, born in 1986, residing in An Thuong Commune (Hai Duong City) and 3 related subjects.

In addition to confiscating synthetic drugs, the police also discovered a military gun and 65 bullets in this case. If this drug case had not been discovered in time, the seized evidence would have been very dangerous.

Currently, Hai Duong Province Drug Rehabilitation Center has received, managed, and treated about 508 drug addicts for compulsory drug rehabilitation, voluntary drug rehabilitation, and voluntary drug rehabilitation at home and in the community... Of these, the majority are relapsed drug addicts.

According to the assessment of some district-level police units, the fight against drug addiction is still difficult, and drug addicts relapse due to many reasons. Among them, the propaganda and mobilization of the masses has not been extensive, and has not changed the stigma against drug addicts. This leads to some drug addicts returning from rehabilitation feeling inferior and self-conscious, and easily listen to the temptation to return to the path of addiction.

Along with the police force's measures to combat and prevent drug addiction, families and local organizations need to pay more attention to helping drug addicts quit and integrate into the community.

CAM GIANG
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Danger of recidivism in drug crimes