Police smash huge European people-smuggling ring

[NVMojo]

why is it that I can picture the Bushco being involved in something like this?????

LONDON (Reuters) - British police arrested seven people suspected of leading one of Europe's largest human smuggling rackets in a series of dawn raids on Tuesday.

Eleven others were held for related offences.

The arrests followed a two-year investigation into the ring which smuggled illegal immigrants, predominantly from Turkey, into London from mainland Europe. Police forces from five other countries were also involved.

more...

http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20051011/ts_nm/crime_britain_smuggling_dc

[leveymg]

1. When you slam the door in people's faces, this is what happens

I can't imagine a more futile and wasteful use of police resources than trying to bar the door to immigrants.

Why is free trade in goods a good thing, but free movement of people some kind of threat?

[IntravenousDemilo]

3. I agree. Globalization should include the free movement of labour. nm

[pennylane100]

6. I know that most people who enter a country illegally are desperate.

However, one of the sad truths about illegal immigration is that it hurts the people at the bottom of the economic ladder the most and benefits employers looking for cheap labor the most.

Nobody would condemn someone desperate enough to risk everything in order to seek a better life but what about some consideration for the working poor who will never earn more than minimum wage while there are two or three people that will work for less. We should be helping them get better pay and conditions instead of enabling employers to exploit them by using illegal labor.

[IntravenousDemilo]

2. You'd think British Customs would have twigged to dozens of identical,

human-sized suitcases going through their machines at Heathrow.

Agent: Do you have anything to declare?
Smuggler: Just some duty-free cognac.
Agent: How much was it?
Smuggler: 75 Euros.
Agent: Did you pack this bag yourself?
Smuggler: Yes.
Agent: Have you left your bag unattended?
Voice from inside the luggage: No.

[toopers]

4. I would imagine that if they showed legal documents . . .

that they would not have any trouble getting into most countries. Unless, of course, they had something to hide!

[loudsue]

5. Human trafficking has become as bad as drug trafficking.

This is a horrible world-wide epidemic, and it needs to be investigated even to its roots....which will likely point some nasty fingers at some high-level people in many countries.

:kick: