Seven jailed for human smuggling with boarding pass swap
2001-12-4
Five members of a human smuggling syndicate who arranged for Mainland residents to enter the United States illegally with forged passports and swapped boarding passes received jail sentences up to four-and-a-half years at the District Court today (Tuesday ).
Cheng Kwong-chung, 29, merchant, was given a four-and-a-half-year jail sentence, while Cheng Hong-shing, 29, company proprietor, was jailed for three and a half years.
Wong Lai-ming, 33, housewife, was jailed for three years, while Chan Sung-yuen, 39, company proprietor, and Robert Yu, 39, unemployed, were respectively sentenced to two years and one-year-and-six-months in jail.
Two Mainland residents - Chen Chongfei, 25, and Lu Qiufeng, 28 - were charged in the same case. Chen and Lu were respectively jailed for one-year-and-three months and two-years-and-eight months.
In sentencing, Judge Day said while human smuggling was a very serious offence, different jail terms were meted out to the defendants, taking into account whether they pleaded guilty and rendered co-operation with the ICAC.
The Consulate of the United States earlier referred the case to the ICAC, suspecting that the syndicate might have offered bribes to airport staff for their assistance in human smuggling activities.
Subsequent ICAC enquiries found no evidence showing involvement of airport staff.
The court heard that the two Mainlanders, Chen and Lu, who travelled to Hong Kong on People’s Republic of China passports, obtained from the syndicate airline tickets to some Asian destinations.
After they had checked in and entered the restricted area of the Hong Kong International Airport, the syndicate members swapped the Mainlanders’ boarding passes with passes destined to Chicago.
The Mainlanders were also provided with forged US passports.
The syndicate members were arrested by ICAC officers after delivering the forged passports and boarding passes at the airport while the two Mainland residents were arrested inside an aircraft before leaving for Chicago.
The offences took place between March 1 and 3 this year.
The prosecution was today represented by M.T.C. Boase on a fiat, assisted by ICAC officer Petrus Au.
Cheng Kwong-chung, 29, merchant, was given a four-and-a-half-year jail sentence, while Cheng Hong-shing, 29, company proprietor, was jailed for three and a half years.
Wong Lai-ming, 33, housewife, was jailed for three years, while Chan Sung-yuen, 39, company proprietor, and Robert Yu, 39, unemployed, were respectively sentenced to two years and one-year-and-six-months in jail.
Two Mainland residents - Chen Chongfei, 25, and Lu Qiufeng, 28 - were charged in the same case. Chen and Lu were respectively jailed for one-year-and-three months and two-years-and-eight months.
In sentencing, Judge Day said while human smuggling was a very serious offence, different jail terms were meted out to the defendants, taking into account whether they pleaded guilty and rendered co-operation with the ICAC.
The Consulate of the United States earlier referred the case to the ICAC, suspecting that the syndicate might have offered bribes to airport staff for their assistance in human smuggling activities.
Subsequent ICAC enquiries found no evidence showing involvement of airport staff.
The court heard that the two Mainlanders, Chen and Lu, who travelled to Hong Kong on People’s Republic of China passports, obtained from the syndicate airline tickets to some Asian destinations.
After they had checked in and entered the restricted area of the Hong Kong International Airport, the syndicate members swapped the Mainlanders’ boarding passes with passes destined to Chicago.
The Mainlanders were also provided with forged US passports.
The syndicate members were arrested by ICAC officers after delivering the forged passports and boarding passes at the airport while the two Mainland residents were arrested inside an aircraft before leaving for Chicago.
The offences took place between March 1 and 3 this year.
The prosecution was today represented by M.T.C. Boase on a fiat, assisted by ICAC officer Petrus Au.