THE Federal Bureau of Investigation has arrested three persons who allegedly conspired to try to smuggle 14 Chinese nationals from Saipan into Guam last year.
Kin Jier Shy, Kyu Mun Deuk and Shan Zheng Jian were brought to the U.S. District Court yesterday for arraignment.
The three defendants, through their respective attorneys, waived reading of the superseding indictment and pleaded not guilty.
Judge Alex R. Munson set the jury trial for July 22.
Kin, Kyu and Shan were charged with conspiracy to commit alien smuggling for financial gain, and 14 counts of attempted alien smuggling for financial gain and aiding and abetting.
According to court papers filed by Assistant U.S. Attorney John J. Rice, Kyu met with another man on Saipan to discuss that person’s availability to pilot a boat to Guam in March 2001.
In April 2001, Shan met with a man to, among other things, negotiate the price to smuggle him to Guam.
On June 15, 2001, Kin negotiated the purchase of a boat from another person. Three days later, Kyu and Shan escorted 14 other foreigners to the boat docked at the Outer Cove Marina, Rice said.
Rice said the three defendants and their co-conspirators “recruited” the 14 who were asked to pay the suspects for the boat ride to Guam.
The defendants, he said, planned to cause the 14 to disembark from their boat in the waters on Guam at a place that was not designated as a port of entry to avoid detection by the U.S. Immigration and Naturalization Service.
