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Elderly woman sentenced for money laundering
An Incheon district court handed a one-year prison term to a 90-year-old woman on Monday for laundering proceeds from her son's drug trafficking operations.
Financial transactions under scrutiny
The unnamed defendant transferred 386 million won ($260,800; £192,800) across nine transactions between April 2020 and February 2022, following her son's instructions to deposit funds into a specified account, the court stated.
Son's conviction and detention
The woman's son, identified in reports as Song, has been imprisoned in Cambodia since 2020 after being convicted of trafficking methamphetamine into the country. The court noted that Song's mother visited Cambodia five times in 2019 and was aware of her son's detention, suggesting she knew the funds were illicit.
Court's reasoning
Judge Wi Eun-suk emphasized that the woman's actions obstructed efforts to trace illegal profits and facilitated the spread of narcotics, describing the offense as particularly severe. However, the court considered her advanced age and lack of prior drug-related convictions in determining the sentence.
Broader investigation and family involvement
South Korean authorities are working to extradite Song from Cambodia, according to local media. Reports also indicate that Song implicated his daughter in the scheme. She faced trial for receiving over 600 million won in illicit funds and transferring 274 million won but was acquitted of money laundering due to insufficient evidence proving her knowledge of the funds' origins.
"Her actions made it harder to trace illicit profits and contributed to the spread of narcotics, rendering the offence particularly serious."
Judge Wi Eun-suk, Incheon District Court
