Posted on 03/27/2002 9:44:02 AM PST by testforecho
Wednesday, March 27, 2002
Ground Zero tour group border bust
By TOM GODFREY, TORONTO SUN
Two Toronto men have been charged for allegedly trying to smuggle 10 Malaysian nationals into the U.S. disguised as a tour group going to visit Ground Zero.
"These people were posing as a tour group in an attempt to enter the U.S.," said Winston Barrus, deputy district director of the U.S. Immigration and Naturalization Service (INS).
Barrus said the group was intercepted March 9, packed in two minivans at a Thousand Islands border crossing.
Police said the Malaysians arrived in Canada as visitors and are accused of carrying doctored visas to enter the U.S. Barrus said the Malaysians paid about $5,000 US each for the trip to the U.S.
Sun Jun Yue, 41, and Wu Peng Gao, 30, of Toronto, have been charged with smuggling illegal aliens into the U.S.
They were ordered held on $10,000 bail each yesterday at a court appearance in New York.
Eight members of the alleged tour group were charged with making false statements to enter the U.S. and could face up to six months in jail, in addition to being deported.
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