Chinese Immigrant Smuggling Ring Busted
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Chinese Immigrant Smuggling Ring Busted
'Snake Heads' Tried to Bribe Fed Agent, Officials Say

May 3, 2000

By Seamus McGraw

DETROIT (APBnews.com) -- They thought they had struck the mother lode -- a corrupt U.S. official who would provide bona fide American visas so they could smuggle Chinese immigrants into the country, authorities said.

In fact, their contact was a loyal employee of the federal Immigration and Naturalization Service (INS) who helped federal investigators build a case against six "snake heads" who conspired to bring hundreds of illegal immigrants from China.

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Now, those six people -- two Chinese citizens, two Canadians, a Pennsylvanian and a man identified only as "Andy" -- are facing federal bribery, conspiracy and smuggling charges, authorities said. The charges could land them all in prison for up to 15 years.

'Operation Squeeze Play'

Three more, a Canadian man and his two grown daughters, were arrested today and charged in a separate complaint with conspiracy to smuggle aliens into the nation. The three, identified as Hip Chow and his daughters, Jennifer and Ellis Chow, all of Scarborough, Ontario, were released on their own recognizance.

The plot by the six "snake heads" was detailed in a six-page indictment unsealed today in U.S. District Court in Detroit, the result of a yearlong probe by federal authorities dubbed "Operation Squeeze Play."

The indictment alleges that the six planned to smuggle more than 400 Chinese nationals from Fujian province into the United States on commercial airline flights to Detroit Metropolitan Airport.

To ease the immigrants' passage past U.S. Customs Service and immigration officials, the conspirators found Ronald Katz, an INS official who they believed would provide them with real U.S. visas in exchange for real American dollars, authorities said.

But Katz, authorities said, was only posing as a corrupt official. Instead, he was reporting every meeting, every transaction to federal investigators.

$230,000 in payments

There were several transactions, according to the indictment. In all, the conspirators, known among Chinese immigrants as "snake heads," gave Katz $230,000, doled out a little at a time between February and this month. In exchange, Katz gave them 425 visas, which they could then sell to their prospective clients for more than $25,000 a piece.

On March 18, the first group -- a party of six immigrants, accompanied by alleged conspirator Hyo Young "Peter" Park of Winnipeg, Alberta, made it past U.S. immigration officials at Detroit, thanks to their ill-gotten visas, according to the indictment.

Meeting in China

Their whereabouts are unknown, authorities said.

Later that month, an informant traveled to Fujian province to meet with leaders of the smuggling operation, identified as Fheng Wui and Fheng Huang, according to the indictment.

"During this meeting, Fheng Wui and Fheng Huang made a videotape for the purpose of encouraging Inspector Katz and others to help them," the indictment alleges.

In addition to Huang, Wui and Park, the indictment unsealed today names Ton "Thomas" Choe of Toronto; Yu Fheng Liu of Camp Hill, Pa.; and a co-conspirator identified only as "Andy."

Huang, Wui and Andy remained at large as of this afternoon. Park, Choe and Liu were arrested this morning, authorities said. Bail had not yet been set.


Seamus McGraw is an APBnews.com staff writer mailto:seamus.mcgraw@apbnews.com.

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