(ECNS) -- Twenty nine undocumented foreign workers have been busted in east China and are set for repatriation. Local suspects involved in the case could face life imprisonment.
Police in Yiwu city, Zhejiang province, discovered 29 undocumented foreign workers on April 14. After further investigation, officials discovered that two local employers, surnamed Jiang and Zheng, illegally hired foreign staff to work in their sock workshop.
Another suspect surnamed Yan, an intermediate agent from Yunnan province, facilitated the connection and smuggled the workers into China.
Jiang and Yan remain in custody while Zheng is out on bail. Yan, as agent, could face at least 7 years in jail or life imprisonment.
Since Chinese New Year, labor shortages have forced some factories to risk hiring illegal foreign workers. These workers are mostly low-level laborers, who work in confined, toxic workshops and receive less than 2,000 yuan (about $322) a month.
