Boarder police swooped on the nine men who are charged with aiding
88 Chinese illegal immigrants seeking to flee China on false papers to developed
countries from the city of Jiangmen, sources with the provincial frontier guards
said.
Zhen Mouhong, one of gang's leaders, was found in the possession of 54
passports for the human contraband and other documents including identification
cards.
He was stopped in his jeep by officers on August 4 last year.
His arrest was part of day-long operation by frontier police who had launched
a special campaign to fight organized crime.
Zhen, 34, obtained the permanent resident rights of a foreign country, which
the police refuse to identify its name, in 2002.
Zhen was quoted as saying by police that other eight fellow "snakeheads" -- a
Traid gang leaders are called -- joined him later and began organizing Chinese
people to illegally immigrate to developed countries.
The frontier police said an organized a special team to investigate the case
in the several cities including Shenzhen, Shanghai and Fuzhou.
After the five-month investigation, officers succeeded in cracking the human
trafficking ring, in which more than 150 million yuan (US$18 million) were
involved.
Some of the gang's human contraband were to be sent to Europe and America
illegally via Guangdong.
Local police departments have conducted more patrols and supervision on key
sections within the provincial land and sea border to prevent the exit and entry
of illegal migrants.
