Identifier
Created
Classification
Origin
04TEGUCIGALPA70
2004-01-13 16:30:00
UNCLASSIFIED//FOR OFFICIAL USE ONLY
Embassy Tegucigalpa
Cable title:  

ALIEN SMUGGLERS OF CHINESE NATIONALITY ARRESTED IN

Tags:  CVIS KFRD KHLS ASEC KCRM EFIN PREL HO 
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UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 03 TEGUCIGALPA 000070 

SIPDIS

SENSITIVE

POSTS FOR DHS AND CONS
STATE FOR WHA/CEN, CA/FPP, EB, AND DS

E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: CVIS KFRD KHLS ASEC KCRM EFIN PREL HO
SUBJECT: ALIEN SMUGGLERS OF CHINESE NATIONALITY ARRESTED IN
HONDURAS; GOH ATTACKS CONTINUING ALIEN SMUGGLING FRAUD FROM
CHINAZO PASSPORT SCAM

Ref: 03 Tegucigalpa 002965 (NOTAL)

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 03 TEGUCIGALPA 000070

SIPDIS

SENSITIVE

POSTS FOR DHS AND CONS
STATE FOR WHA/CEN, CA/FPP, EB, AND DS

E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: CVIS KFRD KHLS ASEC KCRM EFIN PREL HO
SUBJECT: ALIEN SMUGGLERS OF CHINESE NATIONALITY ARRESTED IN
HONDURAS; GOH ATTACKS CONTINUING ALIEN SMUGGLING FRAUD FROM
CHINAZO PASSPORT SCAM

Ref: 03 Tegucigalpa 002965 (NOTAL)


1. (U) SUMMARY: On December 9 and 11, Hu Weng RONG (DPOB:
7/28/1975, China) and He Jia BIN (DPOB: 5/06/1975, China)
were arrested in Honduras. Both had obtained Honduran
nationality in the early 1990s. The arrests were carried out
by the Honduran General Directorate of Special Investigative
Services (DGSEI-Police in the Ministry of Public Security)
and the Honduran Public Ministry. Intelligence assessment
was provided by DHS/Tegucigalpa. The individuals were key
members of an international alien smuggling ring that
specialized in bringing PRC citizens into Europe, the U.S.
and Latin America with forged Honduran, Japanese, and
Taiwanese passports and naturalization documents. This
organization's fee for smuggling services was US$60,000.00
per alien. Sixty-five percent of this fee, between
US$35,000 to US$40,000, is the estimated cost of the
documents. The organization is linked to Juan Francisco
Flores-Ochoa, a former employee of the Honduran immigration
office. END SUMMARY.


2. (U) BACKGROUND: During the early 1990s, the Honduran
Congress passed a decree permitting the naturalization of a
specific number of Chinese citizens who would invest in
private sector enterprises in Honduras. Nationality was
acquired after a certain amount was paid into the Honduran
Central Bank. Unknown thousands of PRC citizens as well as
persons from Hong Kong and Taiwan took advantage of this
decree. The advantage of holding a Honduran passport was
that they could pass through countries in the European Union
and Central America without a visa. Abuses became
widespread and eventually, authorities lost control over the
process. The vulnerability of Honduran systems for the
issuance of passports, birth certificates, identification
cards and driver's licenses became public knowledge.
Individuals and organizations took advantage of the weak
systems to start a scam that became known as "Chinazo". In
Chinazo, the aliens paid money directly to GOH officials or

alien smugglers and were issued false documents indicating
that they had become Honduran. None of the money, however,
was deposited in the Central Bank. It is estimated that
Chinazo netted millions of dollars for the perpetrators and
no one has ever been prosecuted. In spite of the repeal of
the decree in 1996, a large number of false documents are
still in circulation and are being used by alien smugglers.

3.(U) To add to local problems, 1,600 Honduran passports
were stolen from the passport office in San Pedro Sula in

2001. The GOH issued a world-wide alert detailing the
theft. In spite of the alert, Chinese travelers carrying
stolen passports have been intercepted in Asia and Europe.
A report from Germany stated that a citizen of Kazakhstan,
who was involved in money laundering, had used a stolen
Honduran passport to travel through Germany, by land.


4. (SBU) In March 2002, two Lebanese citizens were arrested
in Tegucigalpa attempting to leave Honduras with two of the
stolen passports. Interestingly, they had entered Honduras
using two other Honduran passports which had been issued to
Honduran citizens, but which had been falsified.
Investigations revealed that the Honorary Honduran Consul in
Jordan, Faiz El Madi Khuri, sold twenty-five of the stolen
passports in the Middle East. Of these twenty-five
passports, only three have been intercepted. El Madi Khuri
had obtained the passports from a former GOH Immigration
employee, Juan Francisco Flores-Ochoa. Flores-Ochoa spent
seven months in jail after being fired from his immigration
job during the theft investigation. Flores-Ochoa remains at
large in spite of the fact that local authorities issued a
new warrant for his arrest (see paragraph 6 below.) El Madi
Khuri remains a fugitive from Honduran authorities and is
reported to be residing in Kuwait.


5. (SBU) Some stolen passports have been intercepted by U.S.
Customs at the Miami International airport as they were
being sent via DHL to China, Japan, Germany, Belgium,
Argentina, Ireland, Spain, England and Hungary. Customs
Miami intercepted nine packages containing seventeen stolen
Honduran passports. DHL Airway bills from the packages
revealed that the senders were located in Tegucigalpa and
had used false names and addresses. An ensuing
investigation revealed the identity of several senders,
including arrestee, Hu Weng Rong. Also, DHS Rome reported
that authorities in France intercepted two packages at the
International airport in Roissy. One person was arrested in
France. DGSEI is continuing investigation of the use of DHL
and other international courier services to send stolen
passports abroad.


6. (U) In June 2003, an Indian national, Pritesh
Bhupendrabhai Patel, was arrested in San Pedro Sula for
being in possession of one of the stolen passports. His
arrest led to the arrest and conviction of Nicolas
Arquimides Cisneros, a citizen of El Salvador, on charges of
alien smuggling and forgery of public documents. An arrest
warrant was also issued for Juan Francisco Flores-Ochoa on
the same charges. Flores-Ochoa has not yet been taken into
custody.


7. (SBU) In August 2003, the DGSEI temporarily halted
investigation of Chinese smuggling activities because a
police officer had disclosed confidential information to
members of the Chinese community in Tegucigalpa. However,
during November, activities resumed. On November 15, police
arrested two PRC citizens traveling on forged Japanese
passports. They were being assisted by another PRC who
became a naturalized Honduran.


8. (U) Police surveillance also successfully tied Hu Weng
RONG and several other members of the smuggling operation to
Juan Francisco Flores-Ochoa. On December 9, Hu Weng RONG
was arrested at the San Pedro Sula airport on charges of
alien smuggling and document forgery. RONG had accompanied
two other PRC citizens, traveling on forged Japanese
passports. The two had attempted to board a Sol Air flight
to Miami. Their arrest and further surveillance supported
the issuance of a search warrant for residences of Hu Weng
RONG. At one residence, police found three unopened China
Express packages with "passports" listed on the content
labels. Also, large numbers of false Honduran
identification cards, false drivers licenses, false
naturalization certificates, copies of airway bills for
packages that had been intercepted by Customs/Miami, airway
bills for packages mailed to He Jia BIN, two stolen Honduran
passports with complete biographical information but no
photographs, a laminating machine, rolls of laminate, and
original seals from the Honduran Transit Police. In
addition, there were blank authorization forms for Honduran
non-immigrant and immigrant visas that lacked only the
signatures of the Director of Immigration, and blank
stationery from the GOH Ministry of Government and Justice
and Immigration offices. There was also a check issued to
Juan Francisco Flores-Ochoa and a notarized authorization
form from Flores-Ochoa to HU Weng Rong, granting HU
permission to drive Flores-Ochoa's vehicle throughout
Central America.


9. (U) The evidence that tied HU to HE Jia Bin was
sufficient for the police to get search warrants for BIN's
residence. They found large numbers of naturalization
certificates, forged migration seals from Honduras and
Panama, Western Union money transfers amounting to more than
sixty thousand U.S. dollars, and a large amount of cash in
Lempiras as well as U.S. dollars.


10. (U) He Jia BIN was ordered arrested on charges of
forgery of public documents, possession of instruments for
the forgery of public documents, money laundering and alien
smuggling. Hu Weng RONG was held on charges of forgery of
public documents. Both are being held without bail. The
Ministry of the Interior has openly expressed interest in
revoking their naturalization.


11. (SBU) DHS/Tegucigalpa has successfully identified other
PRC and Honduran members of this alien smuggling
organization and will coordinate with the Public Ministry
and DGSEI in the continuing investigation.

PALMER