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This incident was a 'beaut': The fear that terrorists could exploit the container transport system was confirmed barely a month after the Al Qaeda attacks of September 11, 2001. In October 2001, authorities in the southern Italian port of Gioia Tauro, a leading cargo trans-shipment hub for the Mediterranean, discovered an unusually well equipped and neatly dressed stowaway locked inside a shipping container. The container was furnished with a bed, water, supplies for a long journey and a bucket for a toilet. Italian police said Mr. Farid, the 43-year-old stowaway, was born in Egypt but carried a Canadian passport. Farid was smartly dressed, clean-shaven and rested as he emerged with two mobile phones, a satellite phone, a laptop computer, several cameras, batteries and, ominously, airport security passes and an airline mechanic's certificates valid for four major American airports. That container fitted out as a makeshift home had been loaded in Port Said, Egypt.
http://kingston.usembassy.gov/062904.htmlLast year, they nabbed 29 guys in LA: The Chinese nationals, all men, were initially spotted by private port security personnel wandering in a cargo area near berth 214 at around 11:00 p.m. Sunday. The port police contacted the Department of Homeland Security and representatives from the U.S. Coast Guard, U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP), and U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) responded.
When federal officers arrived at the scene, they discovered several of the men had sustained minor injuries when they attempted to scale fencing surrounding the cargo area. Four of the migrants were treated at local hospitals and returned to federal custody. Three remain hospitalized today, including one man who suffered a broken ankle.
This morning, CBP officers are processing and interviewing the aliens. So far, investigators have determined the migrants were smuggled into the United States inside two 40-foot long shipping containers on board the NYK Artemis, a Panamanian-registered vessel that arrived here April 2. Authorities say the ship, whose last port of call was Hong Kong, embarked for Los Angeles March 22. Prior to that, the ship also took on cargo in the Chinese cities of Xiamen and Shekou.
The circumstances of this latest incident are similar to those of past human smuggling scenarios. Officers at the scene say the stench coming from the containers was overwhelming. Inside, agents found piles of discarded food packages, blankets, and containers overflowing with human waste. In addition to food and water, the containers were outfitted with car batteries to power small portable fans. http://www.ice.gov/graphics/news/newsreleases/articles/chincontainer040405.htmThe money is there to be made--people still are willing to pay fortunes: Western immigration officials estimate that Chinese stowaways often pay up to $70,000 each for such journeys. Experts say human smuggling grosses $10 billion a year for the international crime gangs who sneak people into affluent countries -- countries like Britain, Germany, and the United States, where illegal immigration is on the rise. In 1993, one ship dumped 240 illegal refugees from Fujian Province at the foot of the Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco, then sailed back into international waters. A few months later, a freighter, the "Golden Venture," ran aground near New York City. The almost 300 Chinese stowaways on board had spent 114 days at sea. Too often, the stowaways risk life and limb to make their dangerous journeys. In January, 15 Chinese men emerged from a metal cargo container after the Cape May freighter docked in Seattle. Three more were found dead inside. http://www.pbs.org/newshour/bb/international/jan-june00/human_cargo_6-20.html |
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