South Koreans jailed for smuggling of Chinese women into Finland
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Two South Korean men were convicted and sentenced in the Kotka District Court in Hamina on Wednesday for the crime of arranging illegal entry into Finland for young Chinese women.
A 55-year-old Korean was sentenced to one year in prison, while the other man, 41, was given a prison sentence of ten months.
In addition, five Chinese women were convicted of using forged passports, and the court handed down suspended sentences of three months in prison to each of them.
According to the prosecutor, the men were part of an international smuggling organisation, even if they are not necessarily actual members. However, the fact that the men's role in the organisation is not pivotal was regarded as a mitigating factor.
The 55-year-old participated in two smuggling incidents. At the beginning of June, he successfully brought a Chinese woman into Finland from Russia via the border crossing at Vaalimaa. Later he travelled with her to Milan. His fee was USD 1,000.
His employer, a "Mr Lee" in the Philippines, contacted him again later in June and persuaded him to smuggle five 21 to 23-year-old Chinese women from Moscow to Milan. His accomplice was a 41-year-old South Korean. The men received instructions from a "Mr Kim" in Shanghai. The men were promised a fee of USD 2,000 each.
The women were gathered in Shanghai, where their photos were taken and they were supplied with forged South Korean passports.
The price of the journey was between EUR 10,000 and EUR 13,000 per person. The aim was to collect the money from relatives once the women were in Italy.
The smugglers and the women were caught during two separate incidents. The 55-year-old was on his way from St. Petersburg to Helsinki accompanied by three women on July 3rd. The forged passports were discovered at the border crossing station of Vaalimaa, and the man was caught in Helsinki later the same day.
The other man made an attempt to travel by boat from St. Petersburg to Helsinki with two women on July 9th. They were also picked up at passport control.
According to the defence, the two men were businessmen with ordinary family lives who just took part in a "stupid plan of action" after they had ended up in financial difficulties. The defence claimed that the men were just accessories, and not active planners of the crime.
The prosecutor noted that the smuggling operation showed signs of human trafficking. Even though the women had started their journey voluntarily, they were totally dependent on their escorts.
Helsingin Sanomat
