Canadians face arrest for human smuggling
www.globeandmail.com News Books Careers Mutual Funds Stocks ROB Mag ROBTv Tech Wheels
Home  |  Business  |  National  |  International  |  Sports  |  Features  |  Review  |  Forums  |  Subscribe

The Globe and Mail
Wednesday, May 03
leaf stats

7-Day Search
space

Tips | What Can I Search?
onvia.com

Contents
bulletFull Site Index
Click for a detailed list of everything on the site.


Main Sections
bulletReport on Business
bulletNational
bulletInternational
bulletSports
bulletGlobe Review
bulletFeatures
bulletComment
bulletFocus
bulletBooks
bulletClassifieds
space
Other Sections
bulletTravel
bulletReal Estate
bulletFood & Dining
bulletHealth
bulletScience
bulletTechnology
bulletEnvironment
bulletEducation
bulletObituaries
bulletBirths & Deaths
bulletToronto News
space
Specials & Series
bulletBudget 2000
bulletFamily Matters
bulletHomelessness
space
Entertainment
bulletCrosswords
bulletHoroscopes
bulletTV Listings
space
space
NorstarMall.ca

Chapters.ca
Current Markets
Enter Canadian or U.S. stock symbol(s) or market index:
 
Stock symbol lookup

Sponsored by:
HSBC InvestDirect


TSE 300 -219.00 9291.30
DJIA -250.99 10480.13
S&P500 -31.19 1415.10
Nasdaq -78.1 3707.3
CDNX -63.30 3534.8
FTSE100 -188 6185
Nikkei +0.0 18439.4
HSeng -241 15577
DJ Net -3.95 281.47
Delayed 20 minutes. Help.
Services
bulletFull Services Index
Click for a detailed list of everything on the site.


bulletAdvertise: Newspaper
bulletAdvertise: Web Sites
bulletCustomer Service
bulletCorrections
bulletFree Headlines
bulletHelp & Contact Us
bulletMake Us Home
bulletPrivacy Policy
bulletReprints
bulletSubscriptions
bulletWhat's New

Globe Web Centre
bulletNews: globeandmail.com
bulletBooks: chaptersglobe.com
bulletCareers: globecareers.com
bulletMutual Funds: globefund.com
bulletStocks: globeinvestor.com
bulletROB Magazine: robmagazine.com
bulletROBTv:       robtv.com
bulletTechnology: globetechnology
bulletWheels: globemegawheels
 
Canadians face arrest for human smuggling
U.S. believes Beijing is behind conspiracy

ANDREW MITROVICA and PAUL KORING
The Globe and Mail
Wednesday, May 3, 2000

Toronto and Washington -- ANDREW MITROVICA
in Toronto
PAUL KORING
in Washington

The U.S. Justice Department is expected to arrest three Canadians today for allegedly conspiring to smuggle thousands of migrants to North America, law-enforcement sources say.

A five-month Justice Department probe, code named Project Squeeze Play, may also implicate key Chinese officials, including government personnel and a senior army general in China's Fujian province, the sources said.

The Justice Department believes the investigation reveals that the lucrative human-smuggling trade from China to North America is sanctioned by the Beijing government, the sources said.

"The Chinese officials are running the show," a source said. "It's just not about one corrupt general; the Chinese government is doing it."

A U.S. Immigration and Naturalization Service official confirmed that senior representatives from the Justice Department and the INS in Washington planned to hold a news conference in Detroit today.
The purpose of the event is to announce both the arrests and possible indictments against the Chinese general and others involved.

But when senior INS officials became aware that news of the arrests had leaked, they decided to cancel the news conference.

Carol Jenifer, director of immigration in Michigan, confirmed there is an "ongoing investigation" but refused to confirm or deny any details outlined by The Globe and Mail.

The three Canadians, two of whom are of South Korean descent, will be charged with smuggling, conspiracy to smuggle aliens into the United States and attempting to bribe U.S. officials, sources said.

The Justice Department believes the three Canadians are key players in the illicit trade. The Canadians arranged for the migrants to be shipped to and from the United States and Canada through native reserves that straddle the border, sources said.

"They [the Canadians] provide the muscle to do the leg work for the Chinese," a source said.

One of the Canadians implicated by U.S. authorities in the operation has 45 female migrants "sitting in Winnipeg," but Canadian police are unaware of this, a source said.

As part of Project Squeeze Play, U.S. authorities arranged for people to be smuggled out of China as a way of determining how the ring operated, a source said. Indeed, as part of the sting, Justice Department investigators have 380 valid Chinese passports in their possession with a street value of close to $1-million (U.S.).

U.S. intelligence agencies estimate that 20,000 Chinese migrants attempt to enter the United States and Canada each year by boat.

Four rusty boats carrying about 600 migrants arrived in British Columbia from Fujian province in southeast China in the summer.

Most migrants quickly claimed refugee status. Of the 453 claims processed so far, only 11 have been accepted, and 360 have been turned down. Fifteen claims were withdrawn and 67 people abandoned the effort.

About 80 of the newcomers have disappeared. Only 23 have been deported. The rest are either appealing decisions or waiting for the Chinese government to provide them with travel documents, a lengthy process that frustrates Canadian officials.

Canadian immigration officials are bracing themselves to receive as many as 1,200 illegal migrants in British Columbia this summer. However, U.S. authorities hope that by breaking up a major smuggling operation they will reduce the number of arrivals from China, sources said.

The possible U.S. indictment of a senior Chinese military officer comes just days after Immigration Minister Elinor Caplan received assurances from officials in Beijing that China would take steps to prevent the illegal traffic to Canada. She met with Chinese officials in Fujian to discuss the issue.

In the House of Commons yesterday, she said the Chinese government is co-operating with Canadian authorities to repatriate illegal Chinese migrants now living in Canada.

Most of the illegal immigrants end up working in New York in slave-like conditions in Chinese-owned businesses. Many of the women and girls are forced into prostitution in order to pay back the $50,000 fee they gave to Chinese criminal gangs, known as snakeheads, and Chinese government officials, who work together to arrange their passage.

The Chinese general and as many as four other senior Chinese political and police officials may also be indicted in Washington by the U.S. Justice Department, possibly as early as today, for their role in migrant trade, sources added.

There is no extradition treaty between China and the United States, so it is unlikely the officials will ever be brought before a U.S. judge.

However, the Chinese general represents a major coup for U.S. authorities because he links Beijing directly to the smuggling.

"He's the big fish," a source said. "Nobody leaves China by boat or plane without going through him."

U.S. officials hope the indictments and arrests will prompt the Chinese government to stamp out the smuggling trade.

Sources said the general operates out of Fuzhou, which is in Fujian Province in southeast China, the main point of embarkation for many of those who made the treacherous journey to North America this past summer.

"The general was doing what they [Beijing] wanted him to do," a sources said.

Once the snakeheads gather the prospective travellers, the general provides the necessary visas and passports for a $25,000 (U.S.) fee and makes the arrangements to get the people out of the country, sources said. The millions of dollars generated by providing the necessary travel documents are poured back into state-controlled companies and the army officers' pension plan, law enforcement sources said.




Subscribe to The Globe and Mail

More National News
Canadians face arrest for human smuggling
U.S. believes Beijing is behind conspiracy
By ANDREW MITROVICA and PAUL KORING - Wednesday, May 3, 2000

Support missile project or else, Ottawa warned
Admiral suggests U.S. won't defend Canada
By JEFF SALLOT - Wednesday, May 3, 2000

KEY POINTS
- Wednesday, May 3, 2000

Tories shower Ontario with cash
With the economy booming, Eves hands out the goodies: tax cuts, a $200 rebate and more spending on health care
By RICHARD MACKIE - Wednesday, May 3, 2000

Long takes Alliance rae to PM's backyard
Leadership hopeful stops in Shawinigan, calls fountain plan Chrétien's 'ego trip'
By INGRID PERITZ - Wednesday, May 3, 2000

Debit-card use overtaking cash, survey says
Interac Association study suggests paper money, cheques are fading away as more Canadian consumers choose to swipe
By KAREN HOWLETT - Wednesday, May 3, 2000


7-Day Search
 
Tips | What Can I Search For?
 
Noteworthy
Click here for the Editorial Cartoon

Family Matters
Weekly stories and discussion of a year in the life of the Canadian family.

7 Days On The Street series
Stories and discussion of reporter John Stackhouse's week on the street as a homeless person.

The Just Desserts case
Stories, discussion, and video of one of Canada's longest and most complicated criminal trials.

The Great March West
Stories and photos recreating the mythic journey that helped define this country -- the North-West Mounted Police trek to pacify the West in 1874.
Ontario feared chaos if Quebec voted Yes
Stories by reporter, Martin Mittelstaedt, and government documents obtained by The Globe and Mail.

Writers
Gagnon

Lysiane Gagnon
· Inside Quebec


Simpson

Jeffrey Simpson
· Articles


Sullivan

Paul Sullivan
· The West



Discussion Forums
bullet Bill 11
Alberta's private health-care bill. Should private clinics to be paid public funds to perform some medical procedures?

[ Join In ]
globeandmail.com

bullet The Execution of Nguyen Thi Hiep
Does the punishment fit the crime? What changes should Canada make in its diplomatic relations with Vietnam?

[ Join In ]
globeandmail.com

bullet E-trepreneurs
Need advice, got advice? If you are an Internet entrepreneur, this is the place for networking.

[ Join In ]
globetechnology.com

bullet The Secret World of Eating Disorders
Writer Marsha Skrypuch, author of The Hunger, discusses the issue in our Writer's Studio.

[ Join In ]
chaptersglobe.com

bullet Team Spirit
How do you deal with people you do not get along with at work?

[ Join In ]
workopolis.com

bullet Labour-sponsored Funds
Labour-sponsored funds are in the spotlight again. Are they worth the hype?

[ Join In ]
globefund.com


ChaptersGLOBE.com
Related Books
· Canadian Biographies
· Canadian Drama Books · Canadian History
· Canadian Politics & Government
· Canadian Travel Books

Help & Contact Us | Copyright © 2000 Globe Interactive | Back to the top of this page

Home  |  Business  |  National  |  International  |  Sports  |  Features  |  Review  |  Forums  |  Subscribe