12 years in prison for selling people under 16 years old to Cambodia

On the afternoon of September 23, the People's Court of Soc Trang province opened a first-instance trial and sentenced defendant Ngo Thi My Yen (born 2002, residing in Ward 2, Vinh Chau town, Soc Trang province) to 12 years in prison for the crime of "Trafficking in persons under 16 years old".

According to the indictment, in July 2023, Yen went to Cambodia to apply for a job at Kingcrow Company, managed by Chinese people, with the task of recruiting employees. For each case of bringing people to Cambodia, in addition to salary, Yen was paid 200 USD. After being hired, Yen posted on Facebook information recruiting people aged 18 to 35, knowing how to use computers, with citizen identification to work online in Tay Ninh province, with an income of 18 million to 23 million VND/month.

Due to needing a job, at the end of August 2023, TTDH (born 2009, residing in Lai Hoa commune, Vinh Chau town, Soc Trang province) contacted Yen and was advised as above, so he agreed to go to work.

However, when H arrived in Tay Ninh, Yen and some other people took him to Cambodia to commit fraud on the Lazada sales application. After working for a month, due to work pressure, H quit the job, the company confiscated his card, did not give him food and asked his family to transfer 49 million to ransom him back. H contacted them but his family did not have the ransom money, after a while, the company took H out. After that, H went to the Cambodian police station to report and was supported to return to Vietnam.

Previously, on November 24, 2023, the Border Guard of Soc Trang province received a complaint from H about being introduced to work in Tay Ninh province by a woman named Ngo Thi Kim Yen, Facebook nick "Yenn Bap" (residing in Vinh Chau town, Soc Trang province) with a salary of 23 million VND/month. However, this person then took H to Cambodia to work for a foreign company every day from 13-16 hours, without being paid, being exploited for labor, and then demanding ransom.

Through investigation, Soc Trang Border Guard determined that the person with the Facebook nick "Yen Bap" is not Ngo Thi Kim Yen as TTDH accused, but her real name is Ngo Thi My Yen (born 2002, residing in Ward 2, Vinh Chau town, Soc Trang province).

Yen used Facebook and Zalo accounts “Yen Bap” and “My Yen” to post recruitment information for workers aged 18 to 35, with basic computer skills, working in Tay Ninh province, with salaries ranging from 20 to 25 million VND/month. Yen directly guided the victims to the border area, then organized for them to illegally exit the country through trails and openings to Cambodia at night, then sold them to a company specializing in job scams.