Two boat officials get 18 months for alien smuggling

They just wanted to work in Guam, pay off their debts and give their families a better life in Fujian, China. But their dreams turned into a nightmare as they found themselves locked up in prison a month after they sailed to reach that Great American Dream.

The U.S. District Court yesterday sentenced to 18 months imprisonment Xiao Yi Zhu, boat captain,. and Weng Zu Hui, assistant captain and engineer, of a Chinese boat that was used for attempting to smuggle in 47 undocumented Chinese nationals into Guam six months ago.

Federal Court Judge Alex Munson has also ordered the immediate deportation of the two after their prison terms have been served. The two Chinese, who have been detained at the Division of Corrections since May 30, 1999, were given credit for their time served in prison.

Investigation showed that Mr. Xiao and Mr. Weng were among the four crew members who operated the fishing vessel that carried approximately 49 Chinese nationals from the Fujian province. The vessel was guided to Guam through a radio communication from China.

The boat was intercepted by the U.S. Coast Guard near Guam which immediately took custody of the vessel and its passengers. The illegal immigrant were later transferred to Tinian.

When they were interviewed, the passengers admitted they paid or promised to pay the people involved in the smuggling ring between 15,000 to 30,000 RMB to bring them into the U.S. For most of the voyage, the passengers were kept in the fish hold area of the vessel, a compartment below the main deck normally used for storing fish.

Mr. Weng, also known as Ong Zhu Hwe, admitted through an interpreter that he had no immigration documents to enter the U.S. but had planned on staying and working in Guam. He agreed to work on the boat in exchange for a discounted fee and his desire to work in the mainland so that he could pay his huge debt in China.

Mr. Xiao, also known as Yi Cho So, was also forced to borrow money from loan sharks in China to pay for the medical bills of his wife who got sick of leukemia, according to his lawyer Paul Lawlor. He added that Xiao did not pay for his fare since he agreed to become the boat’s captain.

Should the deportation proceedings against the two fail to occur after they have served their prison term, they will be placed under supervised release set forth by the U.S. Sentencing Commission.

They shall not commit another federal, state or local crime, possess a firearm or dangerous weapon, refrain from unlawful use of controlled substance, seek and maintain gainful employment and serve 200 hours of community service.