Chinese Smuggled Into Port Arrested

For the second time in four months, federal authorities have arrested a large group of Chinese nationals smuggled into the Port of Los Angeles inside two 40-foot shipping containers.

Those arrested were spotted by private security guards about 11 p.m. Sunday wandering in a cargo area on Terminal Island, the Department of Homeland Security announced Monday.

Officials said they were continuing to investigate who was behind the smuggling scheme.

After the arrests, seven of 29 men detained were treated at hospitals for minor injuries, including a broken ankle. Two other Chinese nationals inside the container had escaped before authorities spotted the group, officials said.

All of the men were intending to stay and work in the United States and had no other apparent motive for entering the country illegally, officials said. They were being held in detention pending their immigration proceedings.

The Chinese nationals were smuggled aboard the Panamanian-registered NYK Artemas, which arrived in the port about 7:30 a.m. Saturday. The ship, authorities said, had been at sea since March 22 when it departed from Hong Kong after stops in the Chinese ports of Xiamen and Shekou.

In January, homeland security officials arrested 32 Chinese nationals smuggled aboard the NYK Athena, another ship owned by NYK, a large Japanese shipping company. The Athena had also arrived in Los Angeles after stops in Hong Kong and the other Chinese ports.

“We have no information or specific evidence that NYK is directly involved in this, but obviously that is something we will investigate,” said Peter Gordon, acting port director for the Bureau of U.S. Customs and Border Protection.

Unlike the January incident, when those arrested were apprehended inside the containers, the men arrested Sunday had escaped via hidden hatches.

To facilitate such smuggling operations, containers can be crudely outfitted with food, water, blankets and even small fans powered by car batteries for ventilation, said Virginia Kice, spokeswoman for the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement Bureau.

Even so, officials said, shipping containers are potentially deadly for those who pay smugglers from $30,000 to $60,000 apiece.

“When our investigators open these containers, they will tell you the stench that pours out of there is enough to knock you over,” said Kice. When the containers are jostled about, she added, those inside can be smashed around “like eggs.”

Five years ago, Kice recalled, authorities in Seattle opened a shipping container and found three dead men among a group of 18 Chinese migrants.

“As far as I am concerned, these are nothing more than metal coffins,” said Gordon, the acting port director.