Nine people alleged to have participated in trafficking more than 80 Taiwanese to Cambodia using false employment offers, including two alleged organizers, were sentenced to more than 10 years each by the Taipei District Court on Thursday.
Lee Cheng-hao (李振豪) and Lin Chin-yu (林晉宇), said to be part of a Taipei chapter of the Bamboo Union organized crime group, received terms of 18 and 13 years respectively.
Seven others alleged to have worked under their command were convicted of fraud and contravening the Human Trafficking Prevention Act (人口販運防制法), among other charges.
Photo copied by Taipei Times staff
Four were handed terms ranging from 11 to 15 years, while three others received terms ranging from more than 15 years to 17 years.
Evidence and testimony were presented that Lee and Lin in late 2021 made connections with Chinese gangs operating in Cambodia and were paid for each victim recruited into fraud and international human trafficking schemes.
Lee and Lin placed online job advertisements deceptively promising high wages for people to work in Cambodian casinos or online gaming facilities, or to make adult videos, investigators said.
Jobseekers, upon being hired, were put in hotels in Taiwan to control their movements while passports and airline tickets were arranged, with criminal gang members escorting them to their flights, investigators said.
Once in Cambodia, the victims were confined and their passports taken, while they were forced to participate in fraudulent activities and subjected to physical abuse if not compliant, investigators said.
Lee and Lin were charged with entrapping 85 Taiwanese into such schemes — 54 by Lee’s group and 31 by Lin’s, with the duo paid about NT$18,000 (US$590.84) per victim, they said.
Along with other financial rewards, Lee’s group received NT$12.7 million, and Lin’s NT$1.92 million, with all proceed confiscated upon conviction.
All of those convicted ranged in age from 20 to 39.
“The young defendants gave no thought to legal gainful employment, but instead engaged in international human trafficking, violating the liberty and rights of the victims, with some assaulted and being seriously injured,” the court ruled.
“They endangered public safety and terrorized victims into distress and a state of helplessness in a foreign country. These are grave crimes against Taiwanese,” it said.
The defendants attempted to hide their involvement, evade their responsibility and refused to admit wrongdoing, therefore warranting severe punishment, it added.
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