Operation targeting smuggling bears fruit

Police nationwide have resolved 14,973 criminal cases about obstructing border administration since the Ministry of Public Security deployed an operation targeting such crimes in December 2020, the National Immigration Administration said on Friday.

The police have arrested 35,777 suspects involved in such a crime and arrested 36,921 people who entered and exited the country illegally since December. They have also seized 1,549 vehicles and ships for smuggling and penalized 514 intermediaries and illegal employment enterprises, according to the administration.

Liu Haitao, director of the administration's border inspection department, said in a recently resolved case, the administration and departments under the ministry organized Yunnan General Station of Exit-Entry Frontier Inspection and public security organs in 60 cities successfully resolved a serial of cases of organizing and transporting others to illegally cross the national border, with 1,292 suspects arrested.

Police had also frozen 26 bank accounts and 1.7481 million yuan ($26,560) of funds used to organize the crime of smuggling and seized 62 kilograms of methamphetamine, Liu said.

A number of criminal gangs had been completely busted, Liu said. The gangs formed an extensive network and are active in China's southwest border and border areas of adjacent countries. Through colluding with each other, they organize and transport Chinese citizens in and out of the country illegally to engage in telecom fraud, online gambling and drug trafficking.

"The administration has made intensive efforts to hunt down major suspects who are on the run for crimes of disrupting border management, and ringleaders who organized the smuggling," he said.

The police have captured 36 fugitives, including four overseas targets and 21 domestic targets, since September 29, the administration said.

The authorities will strengthen the administration of the border areas and control at the source of such crime through issuing early warnings or dissuading those who attempt to smuggle out of the country, he said.