Defendant Phạm Văn Nghệ at the mobile court. — VNA/VNS Photo

CÀ MAU — A man has been jailed for two years for Việt Nam people smuggling.

The People's Court of Trần Văn Thời District of southern Cà Mau Province opened a mobile court session to hear the first instance of a case of organising and brokering for others to escape to abroad or stay illegally in a foreign country.

The jury sentenced defendant Phạm Văn Nghệ, 53, from Bến Tre Province, temporarily residing in Sông Đốc Town of Cà Mau Province, to two years in prison for arranging for others to flee abroad.

The fishing boat used was also confiscated by the court.

The court heard that in August 2019, a man named Lê Quốc Khánh went fishing illegally in Malaysian waters and was arrested and sentenced to six months in prison by the Malaysian authority.

After being released from prison, Khánh returned to Việt Nam and met Lê Thị Đẳng (also known as Nguyễn Thuỳ Trang) who is living in Malaysia.

Trang hired Khánh to go to Malaysia to catch fish for her and asked Khánh to find a captain and fishermen to work for her.

On February 9, 2023, Đẳng and Nghệ arranged for Khánh and Huỳnh Văn Lâm to use the fishing boat going from Sông Đốc estuary to Malaysia to catch seafood.

On April 24, 2023, Nghệ drove a boat with Lê Quốc Khánh, Đào Quốc Dương, Nguyễn Văn Lam, Phạm Văn Út, Nguyễn Chí Tâm and Ngô Doãn Công to illegally return to Việt Nam by sea.

On May 2, 2023, the Sông Đốc Border Guard Station were on patrol when they spotted the boat and Nghệ was arrested in November later that year.

Nghệ was convicted of the crime of "organising for others to escape abroad". VNS