TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — Taiwan’s Coast Guard foiled a human trafficking operation early in the morning of Aug. 29 after patrol boats intercepted a motorboat attempting to ferry 19 Vietnamese nationals into Taiwan illegally.
As Typhoon Saola was approaching its nearest point to Taiwan, the Coast Guard’s 8th Patrol Division noticed an unregistered boat about 10 nautical miles off the coast of Pingtung’s Fangliao Township. Two patrol boats were dispatched to investigate and found three Taiwanese nationals trying to smuggle 19 foreign citizens into Taiwan, reported UDN.
The Vietnamese nationals included 14 men and five women, who were all reportedly on a larger vessel out at sea, and were picked up by the three Taiwanese nationals in the motor boat.
The suspects were hoping to use the cover of night and Typhoon Saola’s sea warning to evade authorities. After being intercepted, the boat was towed to Fangliao Harbor at around 2:12 a.m.
(Taiwan Coast Guard 8th Patrol Division photo)
All 22 suspects were arrested in violation of relevant immigration laws. The case was sent to the Pingtung District Prosecutor’s Office, which will investigate what local groups or individuals were involved in organizing the trafficking operation.
Earlier in the week, on Aug. 27, Taiwan’s Coast Guard was alerted to an abandoned and unregistered speed boat near the coast of Penghu, which was suspected of being used as part of a human trafficking operation.