Suspect Arrested in Smuggling Deaths
Chinese police have arrested the alleged head of a human smuggling ring on suspicion that he arranged the passage of 58 Chinese found dead last June in the British port of Dover, the government’s New China News Agency said.
Chen Xiaokong was arrested Tuesday night at a disco in the southeastern province of Fujian. The news agency said Chen had not been seen since the bodies were discovered in the back of a tomato truck June 18.
The report described him as a well-known “snakehead” leader, as smugglers of Chinese migrants are known here. Police in Fujian refused to comment.
Start your day right
Sign up for Essential California for news, features and recommendations from the L.A. Times and beyond in your inbox six days a week.
You may occasionally receive promotional content from the Los Angeles Times.
