The 90-year-old defendant, identified only as Ms. A in court proceedings, was sentenced to one year in prison for money laundering by the Incheon District Court on 13/4.
According to the verdict, Ms. A's son, identified in court documents only as Mr. B, is over 60 years old and has 7 prior convictions for drug trafficking and possession. After completing a prison sentence in 2019, Mr. B went to Cambodia and continued his illicit activities involving controlled substances. In 7/2020, he was arrested again on charges of drug trafficking and methamphetamine possession.
While incarcerated, he was accused of using a mobile phone to contact accomplices and smuggle drugs into South Korea at least 9 times.
His mother was accused of receiving approximately 400 million South Korean won (around 7 billion Vietnamese dong) from unidentified individuals while her son was in Cambodia and later, in prison, before transferring the funds to his account.
Indicted for money laundering, the mother consistently maintained she was unaware of her son's criminal activities.
According to prosecutors, Ms. A traveled to Cambodia 5 times in 2019 alone and was informed by phone about her son's detention. Therefore, her claim of being unaware of his drug-related crimes was deemed difficult to accept.
The judge noted that the mother's actions made it more difficult for authorities to confiscate illicit profits and contributed to the spread of drugs, thus aggravating her offense. In addition to the prison sentence, she was also ordered to pay a fine equivalent to the amount she allegedly laundered illegally.
While her advanced age was considered a mitigating factor, the court ruled that the one-year prison sentence could not be suspended, meaning she is expected to begin serving her term immediately.
According to sources, South Korean authorities are seeking to extradite Mr. B from Cambodia.
According to the Kyunghyang newspaper, Mr. B reportedly also involved his daughter in the scheme. She was tried on charges of receiving money from drug crimes and transferring it to various accounts.
However, the court ruled that based solely on the evidence presented by the prosecution, it was difficult to conclude that she knew the money was proceeds from drug crimes. Consequently, she was acquitted.
By Hai Thu (Sources: KBS, YNA, Guardian)
