Nguyen Hong Son, 41, was detained by the police in Ha Tinh on Monday to be investigated for murder and illegally trading narcotics.
On May 15, 2022, Son, along with a 42-year-old man named Huong and Pham Van Ngoc, a forest ranger, had a drinking party inside a shed within the Vu Quang National Park in the eponymous district. Conflicts arose during the session, and Son was accused of slashing Huong multiple times and killing him. Ngoc was also injured during the assault.
After committing the crime, Son left the knife at the scene and hid in the forest, taking refuge inside abandoned sheds near the Lao border. Several months after that, Son conspired with criminals both inside and outside of Vietnam and joined a drug trafficking ring. While he was wanted, Son was provided food, money and weapons by his accomplices.
In early January, Ha Tinh police determined that Son was carrying a large amount of drugs to an abandoned shed within the Vu Quang National Park for a transaction, so officers decided to ambush him. At around 2:30 a.m. on Jan. 26, dozens of police officers and border guards raided the shed and incapacitated Son while he was sleeping.
At the scene, authorities seized over 25,000 ecstasy pills, a gun and 46 bullets, along with weapons and explosives.
An investigation is ongoing.