Nonagenarian Jailed for Laundering Son's Drug Money in South Korea
A 90-year-old woman in South Korea has received a one-year prison sentence for her complicity in laundering proceeds from her son's drug trafficking operation. The unnamed woman was found to have accepted 386 million won (approximately £192,800) across nine transactions between April 2020 and February 2022, subsequently transferring these sums to an account as directed by her son.
The Son's Illicit Activities
Her son, identified as Song, has been incarcerated in Cambodia since 2020 following his conviction for methamphetamine trafficking. The Incheon court heard that the mother's frequent visits to Cambodia in 2019, coupled with her awareness of her son's detention, indicated her knowledge of the illicit origin of the funds.
Judge Wi Eun-suk of the Incheon district court stated, "Her actions made it harder to trace illicit profits and contributed to the spread of narcotics, rendering the offence particularly serious."
Despite her advanced age and lack of prior drug-related convictions, the court deemed the gravity of her involvement necessitated a custodial sentence. South Korean authorities are reportedly seeking to extradite Song from Cambodia.
Daughter Acquitted
Song, in his 60s, also implicated his daughter, who faced charges of receiving over 600 million won in illicit funds and transferring 274 million. However, she was acquitted of money laundering due to insufficient evidence to prove her awareness that the money originated from drug trafficking.
