Border Guard and police raid Kouvola’s China Center in immigration sweep

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An operation against suspected organisers of illegal immigration took place on Wednesday at the Nordic China Center market in Kouvola in the southeast of Finland.
      Border Guard officials and police officers looked for people in the market area who were in violation of the conditions of their visas and their residence permits.
      In addition to the Kouvola China Center, a raid took place at the Leishi health and fitness centre in Valkeala, and a number of homes were also searched.
     
Seven people were taken into police custody. They are all Finnish and Chinese citizens living in Kouvola, suspected of acquiring dozens of residence permits under false pretences.
      The head of the investigation, Captain Sami Paila of the Finnish Border Guard, says that the case has been under investigation since the spring.
      The Criminal Investigation Unit of the Coast Guard has also worked closely with the Ministry for Foreign Affairs, the Kymenlaakso Police, the Mobile Police, the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI), and the customs service.
     
Abut 1,000 visas are under scrutiny. Investigators want to know how many of them may have been used for purposes of arranging illegal entry into Finland.
      “The current theory is that we are talking about dozens of visas”, Paila said.
      Also under investigation are 120 visas whose applicants had said that they were for the purpose of going into business. When asked, some of the Chinese who applied for the permits could not say what business they were supposed to work in or manage.
     
The sweep involved 150 officials, including personnel of tax authorities and the prosecution service.
      Capt. Sami Paila says that the final intended destination of the illegal immigrants is not known, but that it is likely that they were headed for the Chinese communities in other countries in the Schengen Zone.
      The investigators see the illegal immigrants as victims of organised criminal activity. Paila notes that he does not know yet exactly how much the immigrants were asked to pay for getting into the Schengen area, but that the price charged is usually about EUR 10,000.


Previously in HS International Edition:
  Kouvola’s China Center continues to suffer from growing pains (3.4.2009)
  China Center in Kouvola opens today (20.9.2007)
  Chinatown rises in Kouvola (30.5.2006)

Helsingin Sanomat