Two B.C. men are charged in a scheme to allegedly smuggle Vietnamese citizens from Canada into the U.S. through a small airport.
Van Phuong Vu, 28, of Vancouver, and Johnny Huynh, 36, of Burnaby, appeared in U.S. District Court in Tacoma, Wash., on Wednesday (May 13), according to a release from the Western District of Washington of the U.S. Attorney’s Office. Vu is a Vietnamese citizen who is a permanent resident of Canada, while Huynh is a Canadian citizen, according to the release notes.
Both are charged with conspiracy to transport certain aliens for financial gain.
They were arrested near Bellingham Airport the week prior to charges being announced. The duo was found with eight Vietnamese nationals who had illegally crossed into the U.S. at Point Roberts – a small U.S. enclave detached from mainland U.S. – from Canada and then flown from the Point Roberts airport to Bellingham.
First Assistant U.S. Attorney Neil Floyd said U.S. Border Patrol agents worked quickly in the case.
“An early morning alert of border crossing at the beach led to the apprehension of eight illegal aliens and charges against those who sought to profit from the smuggling event.”
The release notes that on May 5, around 8:30 a.m., U.S. Border Patrol was made aware of people crossing the Canada-U.S. border at the beach by Point Roberts, which shares a land border with Delta in the Lower Mainland. The only direct way to mainland U.S. is via plane or boat.
Shortly after, or about 10 a.m., border patrol agents at Bellingham airport found the group they suspected had crossed at the beach.
Agents watched the group, allegedly accompanied by Huynh, exit the charter flight terminal and walk toward a nearby hotel, where they were intercepted. The release adds that the agents learned a second flight with additional travellers, reportedly accompanied by Vu, would be arriving soon. They were intercepted at the airport.
Border Patrol found a total of eight Vietnamese nationals had entered the U.S. without inspection.
Some of them told law enforcement that they had agreed to pay between $13,000 and $15,000 to be smuggled into the U.S. Others also communicated with the alleged smuggling group via social media and were instructed to pay the smuggling fees when they arrived at their final destination in the U.S., which included New York or Tennessee.
U.S. Attorney’s Office says conspiracy to transport certain aliens for private financial gain could lead to a sentence of up to 10 years in prison and a $250,000 fine.
The charges have not been proven in court.