"The nemesis" of drug crimes in border areas

Captain Vu Van Cuong and his teammates suppressed criminals in a special project in the border area.

Green Dream…

Vu Van Cuong was born and raised in a farming family with a rich revolutionary tradition in the countryside of Thanh Hoa. The stories of his time as a civilian laborer on the front line, transporting rice to soldiers during the Dien Bien Phu campaign told by his grandparents were the material that nurtured Cuong's soul from his childhood.

Since then, the desire to become a soldier of Uncle Ho grew stronger and became the driving force that helped Vu Van Cuong carry his "green dream" in his studies and efforts, and he passed the Border Guard Academy entrance exam.

After graduating from the Border Guard Academy in November 2015, Cuong was assigned to work at the Border Guard of Dien Bien province until now and has held many positions: Captain of the Drug and Crime Prevention Team (Si Pha Phin Border Guard Station);

Investigation Officer, Drug and Crime Prevention Task Force (Drug and Crime Prevention, Dien Bien Provincial Border Guard Command); Team Leader of Drug and Crime Prevention Team (Pa Thom Border Guard Station); Deputy Head of Operations (Si Pha Phin Border Guard Station)...

The work of Captain Cuong and his teammates involves trekking dozens of kilometers through the forest in the cold and rain, endless business trips and "survival" gunfights...

Captain Vu Van Cuong visited villagers during a patrol.

Having held many positions, directly participating in and advising many major drug cases, Captain Vu Van Cuong is trusted by the people and colleagues, and is called "the nemesis of crime".

“Not only me, but any officer or soldier who has taken on the responsibility for the country, no matter how dangerous they face, must be ready to fight, defeat criminals, and maintain peace for the people,” Captain Cuong shared.

Among the hundreds of projects he has participated in, Captain Cuong remembers the DB 223 project the most. He said that in early 2023, through reconnaissance work and understanding the situation, he discovered a drug trafficking ring from Laos to Vietnam. He advised his superiors to establish a project codenamed DB 223.

After many days of surveillance, at dawn on February 25, 2023, Cuong and his teammates discovered 3 suspicious men wearing backpacks, walking from the direction of the Vietnam - Laos border towards the ambush formation. They were all equipped with flintlock guns and knives. To preserve their strength and prevent them from escaping, Cuong and his teammates secretly approached to surround and capture them.

But as soon as they rushed in, the leader immediately raised a loaded flintlock gun at Cuong and his teammates. Very quickly, he knocked the leader down, kicking the gun out of his hand before he could pull the trigger.

The other two pulled out sharp knives and slashed frantically in an attempt to escape, but were also arrested. Upon inspection, the authorities discovered that the three men were carrying 7 heroin bricks and 1kg of methamphetamine.

“If we had been just a few seconds slower, my teammates and I would have been shot. With all types of crime, especially drug crimes, which are always considered a “war” in peacetime, injuries or deaths are inevitable. Previously, my teammates had officers who died while participating in a special case,” Captain Vu Van Cuong shared.

And most recently (March 3), Captain Vu Van Cuong and his teammates successfully carried out Project DB 324p, catching a subject red-handed and seizing 32,000 synthetic drug pills after many days and nights of surveillance and ambush.

…and the desire to contribute

On the battlefield, Captain Vu Van Cuong was as tough and serious as he was gentle and considerate when he was "sticking to the unit, sticking to the area, sticking to the policies and guidelines; eating, living, working, and speaking the same language" with the people.

Not only fighting and preventing crime, he also spends a lot of time with his teammates helping people in the border areas that the unit manages to develop socio -economically, to stabilize their lives.

In his spare time, he often studies and learns more about agriculture so that he can advise and help people choose crops and livestock that are suitable for the local climate and soil conditions. When the rice harvest season comes, the golden fields are bustling with the laughter of the people and the green-shirted soldiers like Mr. Cuong.

Captain Vu Van Cuong, representative of the Outstanding Young Vietnamese Faces of 2023, shared about his and his teammates' mission of protecting the country's sovereignty in the fight against crime, especially drug crimes.

As a young officer, he and his teammates promoted enthusiasm, creativity and dynamism in applying achievements of science and technology to carry out tasks, aiming to improve the efficiency and quality of work of officers and soldiers in the unit.

Along with that, after visiting and helping families in difficult circumstances in the border areas, witnessing the happy smiles of the people, Captain Vu Van Cuong further understood his responsibility to society and the community.

“The fight against drug crime, against “white death” is a fierce and persistent fight, as the subjects become more and more sophisticated, reckless and daring.

However, with the responsibility to the Fatherland on our shoulders, the trust of the people behind us, and our families in our hearts, we always maintain a fighting spirit, ready to face difficulties and dangers, determined to maintain political security - order, social safety in the border area, continuing the glorious tradition of the Vietnamese border guards", Captain Vu Van Cuong affirmed.

Captain Cuong's "green dream" is also fueled and motivated by the solid rear in his hometown, with his wife, a teacher, and two obedient and healthy children.

The eyes of Uncle Ho's soldier lit up with pride when talking about his small family: "I have a beautiful love for my hometown friend. More than anything, I have a family that always supports me in my journey to pursue my dream and career of protecting the border," Captain Cuong shared.

However, he still has not been able to get over his worries and guilt because his wife has to take care of everything at home. “Both times my wife gave birth, because of my duties, I could not come back to take care of my wife and witness the birth of our children.

Every time I come home on leave, seeing me carrying my backpack back to the unit, my 4-year-old son chirps and tells me, “Dad, be careful on your way to work.” Or when he holds my hand and says, “Dad, you’ve been to Dien Bien for a long time, stay home with me.” I can’t help but cry,” Captain Cuong emotionally recounted.

With many outstanding achievements, from 2019 to present, Captain Vu Van Cuong has been recognized, commended and rewarded by the Party, the State, all levels and sectors in many forms. Notably, in 2022, he was awarded the Third Class Military Exploit Medal by the President.

In 2023, Captain Cuong was one of 67 typical examples nationwide in studying and following Ho Chi Minh's ideology, morality and style, awarded the Uncle Ho badge; and received a Certificate of Merit from the Ministry of Public Security for being a typical example nationwide in drug prevention in 2023.

One of the 10 outstanding young faces of the Border Guard in 2023; one of the 10 outstanding young faces of the entire army in 2023 and one of the 10 outstanding young faces of Vietnam in 2023.

Source: https://dansinh.dantri.com.vn/dien-dan-dan-sinh/khac-tinh-cua-toi-pham-ma-tuy-vung-bien-20240404150902259.htm