20-member illegal emigration gang sentenced in E. China city

A 20-member gang that organized illegal cross-border emigration for more than 100 people, received sentences ranging from six months to 12 years in prison from a local court in East China's Zhejiang Province.

Jin Guoping, head of the gang, and 19 others were charged with organizing illegal emigration of more than 100 people from Wenzhou, a coastal city in Zhejiang, and from Fujian Province between 2002 and 2004, according to the Intermediate People's Court of Wenzhou.

The court said the gang obtained visas by cheating embassies or consulates in China from European countries such as France and Austria. The gang also used fake identification to obtain passports.

The gang members were sentenced Saturday by the court to six months to 12 years' imprisonment, with fines ranging from 5,000 to 300,000 yuan (610 to 37,000 U.S. dollars).

About 600,000 yuan (74,000 U.S. dollars) illegally earned by the gang was confiscated by the authorities.

Source: Xinhua