Jailed for illegally sending people abroad

Nghe An Provincial People's Court has just opened a first-instance criminal trial of defendant Pham Thi Huong (born 1982), residing in Ma Thanh commune, Yen Thanh district, for the crime of "Organizing for others to escape abroad”Defendant Trinh Ngoc Thai (born in 1988), residing in Dien Hong commune, Dien Chau district, was prosecuted for the crime of "Brokering for others to flee abroad".

The investigation agency determined that, although not licensed by a competent State agency to operate as a consultant, broker, recruiter, or send Vietnamese workers abroad to work, from March 2018 to October 2019, Pham Thi Huong colluded with a number of subjects and organized 3 times for 10 workers to go abroad to work for the purpose of making a profit.

Defendant Pham Thi Huong at the trial. Photo: Tran Vu

Specifically, around March 2018, Pham Thi Huong received 28,000 USD and the documents of a woman in Dien Xuan commune, Dien Chau district to complete the procedures for her son to travel to New Zealand on his own. In November 2018, after this worker flew to New Zealand, Huong benefited 500 USD.

The second time, from March 2018 to July 2019, Pham Thi Huong discussed and agreed with Ha Van Dien (whom Huong met by chance at the airport) to organize for 8 citizens to leave for the US and then stay there to work illegally. Huong received the documents and collected from 8 families a total of nearly 2.5 billion VND and 105,000 USD. Of this amount, Huong transferred 860 million VND and 115,000 USD to Dien.

The third time, around October 2019, Huong received documents and $5,000 to organize a woman to leave for the US. However, when she arrived at the airport, this person could not complete the exit procedures and then returned to Nghe An with her family.

The investigation agency determined that among the citizens that Huong organized to go abroad, some people escaped and stayed after going abroad as tourists. However, some people were deported back to their countries or were arrested and taken to refugee camps in Panama and Colombia.

After failing to send people abroad, Pham Thi Huong returned more than 600 million VND and 23,000 USD to the families of some citizens. Thus, the total amount of money Huong has not transferred, paid and benefited from is more than 422 million VND.

In this case, Trinh Ngoc Thai brokered 2 citizens with Huong to organize the above citizens to flee to the US to work and profited 23 million VND.

At the trial, defendant Huong admitted receiving documents and promising to send people to work abroad through tourism.

Defendant Thai stated that because he sold airline tickets, he also received consulting services and took people abroad. Therefore, he brokered for Huong to take 2 people to the US.

After considering the role of each defendant in the case, the panel sentenced defendant Pham Thi Huong to 4 years in prison for “Organizing others to flee abroad”. Defendant Trinh Ngoc Thai received a 15-month suspended sentence for “Brokering others to flee abroad”.