Eight Chinese nationals charged for overstaying and working without a permit

Eight Chinese nationals and a Jamaican contractor were charged by the Transnational Crime Investigation Division (TCID) following a coordinated operation in Mineral Heights, Clarendon on April 10.

The men have been charged with breaches of the Aliens Act and the Foreign Nationals and Commonwealth Citizens Act.

39-year-old Lei Gao, who is a naturalised Jamaican contractor residing in Toll Gate, Clarendon, faces eight counts of aiding and abetting the employment of persons without work permits.

The eight Chinese nationals have each been charged with overstaying and working without a work permit.

They are: 39-year-old Tangming Gao, 46-year-old Jiquan Wu, 51-year-old Dingshun Wu, 39-year-old Xiaohua Yuan, 39-year-old Binbin Li, 50-year-old Jiancun Liu, 57-year-old Dehuli Gao and 40-year-old Jinbo Zhang.

Reports are that on April 10 between 9:00 a.m. and 2:00 p.m., TCID conducted an intelligence-led operation to identify potential victims of human trafficking.

A search warrant was executed at a construction site on Mineral Heights Main Road in Clarendon, during which the team found eight men from Guangdong Province, China, working at the site.

The Passport, Immigration and Citizenship Agency (PICA) later confirmed that all eight men had exceeded their permitted stay on the island.

Further interviews conducted with an interpreter revealed the men had been recruited in China to work for Mr. Lei Gao.

They attended court yesterday.