Woman on trial for selling corn abroad.
After purchasing over 64 tons of corn kernels from a Laotian individual, Huong hired a truck to transport them back to Vietnam for sale. However, the shipment was seized by authorities due to the lack of invoices and documentation, and the failure to complete customs declarations at the border crossing. Huong herself was arrested for smuggling.
On November 15th, the Nghe An Provincial People's Court held a first-instance trial to hear the case against Luong Thi Huong (born in 1976), residing in Thong Thu commune, Que Phong district, for the crime of smuggling.
According to the indictment, because she lived near the Vietnam-Laos border, Huong often went to Laos to trade agricultural products. On December 20, 2023, Huong went to Laos and bought 64.4 tons of corn kernels from a local man at a price of 3,000 VND/kg.
Later, Huong hired a truck and trailer to transport the corn from Laos back to Vietnam for sale. While the truck was en route to Thai Hoa town (Nghe An province) to deliver the goods to a customer, it was intercepted by the Nghe An Provincial Police.
Authorities discovered that the aforementioned corn lacked invoices and documentation, and had not undergone customs declaration procedures upon crossing the border. The corn was valued at 320 million VND.
After a period of detention, the woman was released on bail pending further investigation.
At the trial, the defendant sincerely confessed to her crime. The female defendant repeatedly broke down in tears, explaining that she was illiterate and unaware of the regulations regarding cross-border trade.
Upon hearing the Laotians' persuasion to buy corn to bring back to Vietnam for resale and profit, the defendant agreed. The defendant testified that he paid 194 million dong for the corn, and the procedures for customs clearance were handled by the seller.
The defendant expressed remorse and presented his difficult circumstances, including illiteracy, membership in an ethnic minority group, and limited understanding of the law, in order to request the court to consider mitigating circumstances and reduce his sentence.
Considering the defendant's actions constituted a violation of the law and the crime of smuggling, the court sentenced Luong Thi Huong to 3 years in prison but suspended the sentence for 60 months. The court also ordered the confiscation and sale of over 64 tons of corn worth 320 million VND, with the proceeds going to the state treasury.