Organizer who smuggled people across the border into China receives 12-month suspended prison sentence.
Despite not being licensed to operate a labor export business, Ho Van Hieu still received money to organize the illegal border crossing of two people into China. For this act, the Nghe An Provincial People's Court recently sentenced the defendant to 12 months of suspended imprisonment.
On January 15th, the People's Court of Nghe An province held a first-instance trial to hear the case against defendant Ho Van Hieu (46 years old), residing in Tay Hieu ward (Nghe An province), for the crime of..."Organizing the illegal emigration of others to foreign countries".
According to the indictment, in May 2025, despite not being licensed by the competent authorities to operate a consulting, brokerage, and recruitment agency for sending Vietnamese workers abroad, Ho Van Hieu still received 41 million VND to organize the illegal border crossing of two people into China via an unofficial route.
After being taken to China, both individuals were discovered by local authorities to have entered the country illegally, detained for two months, and then deported back to Vietnam.
On August 21, 2025, the police received a complaint regarding the actions of Ho Van Hieu. On the same day, the defendant surrendered to the police, admitting to organizing the illegal border crossing into China for employment.
At the trial, the defendant confessed to all the crimes, claiming that he did not benefit because he had paid for the paperwork and hired a guide. The defendant expressed sincerity and remorse; and also presented mitigating circumstances such as being a person with a mobility disability and having a relative who was awarded the Medal of Resistance against the American War for National Salvation by the State.
The trial panel concluded that the defendant's actions seriously violated the state's administrative order, posed a potential risk of generating various types of crimes, and affected local security and order. Therefore, strict punishment is necessary to deter and prevent similar offenses in the future.
However, considering the defendant's sincere confession, remorse, numerous mitigating circumstances, and the request for leniency from related parties, the Nghe An Provincial People's Court sentenced Ho Van Hieu to 12 months of suspended imprisonment for the crime."Organizing the illegal emigration of others to foreign countries".
