A South Korean court has sentenced a 90-year-old woman to one year in prison for helping her jailed son launder drug proceeds, the Korea Herald reported.
The Incheon District Court also ordered the forfeiture of 386 million won (roughly $260,000, €220,000) that prosecutors say she received and transferred on behalf of her son. Prosecutors say the defendant received the 386 million won from unidentified individuals on nine occasions between April 2020 and February 2022 and then moved the funds into bank accounts designated to her son.
The son, in his 60s, was arrested in Cambodia in July 2020 on charges including methamphetamine possession and remains imprisoned there. Investigators believe his trafficking operations continued during his incarceration.
The court found the woman knowingly received and transferred funds linked to narcotics crimes. Judges noted she had visited Cambodia five times in 2019 and was informed by phone of her son’s detention, rejecting her claim of ignorance. The judge said her actions hindered efforts to trace illicit profits and contributed to the spread of narcotics, making the offense particularly serious.
When determining the sentence, the court considered the defendant’s advanced age and the absence of prior drug-related convictions.
Edited by: Elizabeth Schumacher