A Chinese "snakehead", or people trafficker, has been jailed for
six years after being convicted of smuggling more than 40 people
into South Korea three years ago.
Wang Zijia, 48, was also fined 60,000 yuan (US$7,500) in the
sentence handed down at the Huancui District People's Court in
Weihai city, east China's Shandong Province.
The court heard that on April 24, 2003, Wang and a native of
Changhai county, Dalian City of Liaoning Province, collaborated
with others in hiding the illegal migrants on a fishing boat to be
ferried to an South Korea-registered cargo vessel ship moored at
sea.
All the illegal migrants were successfully smuggled into South
Korea, but only 13 have since been located by South Korean
police.
Wang Tanlong, the fishing boat skipper, and seaman Wei
Chuansheng, were arrested shortly after the event and charged with
assisting Wang Zijia.
Wang Zijia, who is unemployed, went into hiding shortly after
the event and was arrested on May 31 this year.
(China Daily November 2, 2006)