Group of women who took pregnant women abroad to sell their children were sentenced.

The People's Court of Nghe An province has just opened a first-instance criminal trial to try Moong Thi Ba (born in 1967), residing in Huu Lap commune; Xeo Thi Tien (born in 1982), residing in Chieu Luu commune; and Moong Thi Ly (born in 1983), residing in Huu Kiem commune (both residing in Ky Son district) for the crime of organizing the smuggling of others abroad.

According to the investigation agency's documents, around March 2018, Moong Thi Oanh (born in 1987, residing in Huu Lap commune) returned from China to visit her family. During this time, Oanh heard her biological mother Moong Thi Ba say that Moong Thi Th. (born in 1987) was pregnant and wanted to sell her child.

Oanh immediately discussed with her mother that she would invite Th. to go to China to sell her child and get 60 million VND and give her father 10 million VND. Her father then went to Th.'s house many times to persuade her, so the pregnant woman agreed to go to China.

After 2 months in a foreign country, Ms. Th. gave birth to a son. When the child was 20 days old, Oanh and her husband sold him for 45,000 NDT (equivalent to 48 million VND). 10 days later, Oanh brought Ms. Th. and her mother back to Vietnam. Oanh gave Ms. Th. 4 million VND and her father 1 million VND.

Around August 2018, during a meeting with Xeo Thi Tien, Ms. Moong Thi L. (born in 1989, residing in Chieu Luu commune) expressed her intention to go to China to give birth and then sell the child. L. asked Tien to find a place to sell the child.

Defendants at trial. Photo: Tran Vu

Tien then contacted Oanh via Zalo about the above issue and agreed on a price of 250,000 NDT. Ms. L. then discussed and her husband agreed to sell the child. Tien and Ms. L. then crossed the border to China to stay at Oanh's house until she gave birth and then sold the child.

Regarding Moong Thi Ly's act of sending people abroad, the investigation agency determined that around August 2018, while going to the market to buy things, Ly met an acquaintance and learned that Ms. Th. had previously been taken to China by Oanh and Ba to sell her child for spending money. Ly tried to contact Oanh and was told by this woman that if she sold the child, she would be paid 25,000 NDT. After that, Ly met Ms. Moong Thi M. (born in 1994), residing in Huu Kiem commune, who was pregnant and invited her to sell her child. Ly and Ms. M. were then guided to China by Oanh.

On September 20, 2018, Oanh and her husband took Ms. M. and Ms. L. to a prenatal check-up, accompanied by Ly and Tien. On the way back, a traffic accident occurred in Hebei Province (China). As a result, pregnant woman Moong Thi L. died, Oanh, Ly, Tien and pregnant woman M. were injured and taken to the hospital for treatment.

During the treatment, Ms. M. gave birth. On January 1, 2019, Oanh, Ly, Tien and Ms. M. were deported back to Vietnam by authorities for illegally entering China. In early April 2019, Oanh fled the area, so the authorities issued a wanted notice.

At the trial, the defendants Ly and Ba confessed to all their crimes. Xeo Thi Tien denied the charges, saying that she did not persuade L. but that the woman voluntarily went to China to sell her child.

Considering the case as a whole, the panel sentenced Moong Thi Ba and Xeo Thi Tien to 18 months in prison each; and Moong Thi Ly to 12 months in prison for organizing others to flee abroad.

Because Oanh has escaped, the authorities have issued a wanted notice, so they will separate the case into another one and handle it later when they catch her.