Human traffickers smuggled Chinese nationals from Barcelona to UK and North America
Wednesday, May 6, 2015 @ 10:47 AM
A HUMAN-TRAFFICKING network which smuggled up to 40 Chinese nationals a month into the UK, USA, Ireland and Canada via Barcelona for €20,000 a head has been broken up.
The tightly-organised racket relied upon word of mouth among communities in south-western China to target would-be migrants, and booked airline tickets via a travel agency in Spain run by Chinese nationals.
Ringleaders allegedly told the immigrants they could 'get them into any country they wanted' for a five-figure sum.
They were flown to Barcelona, and then sent on to countries which form part of the Schengen treaty meaning border checks are minimal, or even non-existent.
Migrants were either given fake passports or stolen ones belonging to people who looked like them.
Once they arrived at their final destination, they were threatened into paying the full €20,000.
The immigrants were told that they would have to work in slave-like conditions or in prostitution until they have paid off the money unless they provided it in cash.
Upon their initial arrival in Barcelona, the migrants were met by Chinese nationals already living in Spain who remained close by them until they got them to the flats where they would be staying until they flew out to the British Isles or North America.
Read more at thinkSPAIN.com