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3 Charged in China Alien Smuggling

Originally published by The Associated Press, July 10, 2001

SEATTLE (AP) — Federal authorities have indicted three men, two of them citizens of China, on charges of smuggling Chinese into the United States aboard a ship that arrived in Seattle with three of the aliens dead.

The indictments filed May 1 were unsealed Tuesday, U.S. Attorney Francis J. Diskin announced.

Eighteen people were found huddled inside a container from the Japanese-owned ship Cape May when it docked at the Port of Seattle in January 2000. A fourth person in the container died later in New York.

Kam Hung Chan, 39, Chao Kang Lin, 29, and Jin Ma, 27, were charged with conspiracy to smuggle illegal aliens and alien smuggling. Chan and Lin are citizens of China. Ma is a permanent resident alien from New York City, Diskin said.

Federal authorities accused them of conspiracy to smuggle illegal aliens from China into the United States in exchange for payments of up to $38,000 each.

Conspiracy and smuggling counts both carry a minimum sentence of life imprisonment and a fine of up to $250,000.

© 2001 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.