human trafficking rings busted in vermont

Last week, law enforcement officials in Vermont announced that 11 people had been indicted or arrested for their alleged involvment in two huge human smuggling rings that illegally transported hundreds of people into the United States from Canada: 11 indicted on human smuggling charges. One of the groups, led by a husband and wife in Ontario, allegedly smuggled hundreds of undocumented workers from South Korea, charging up to $10,000 per person. The second group, known as the Galdamez Organization, smuggled people from Pakistan, India, and Central and South America.

The alleged ringleaders of the first group, Chol Min Jang and Sal Sung Jang, also known as Seonee Jane, were recently arrested in Ontario; Sang Hoon Lee and Jun Park, were also arrested in Canada. A fifth suspect, Sang Soo Ko, was arrested in South Korea by South Korean authorities. The United States will seek extradition, according to the U.S. Attorney for the District of Vermont. A sixth suspected ringleader, Myong Ho Tong, a resident of the New York City area, is being sought by law enforcement. The six are suspected of smuggling into the country as many as 20 people per month between July 2004 and December 2006.

A second set of indictments charges five family members who are accused of smuggling more than 100 immigrants into the United States illegally between 2004 and 2007. Jose Manuel Galdamez-Serrano, Norvin Gonzalez-Morales, Ruben Damas-Hernandez, Emmanuel Galdamez, and Jatinder Singh have been charged with conspiracy and bringing illegal aliens into the United States for "the purpose of commercial advantage" and private financial gain. You know, human trafficking.