Two arrested after Border Patrol officer, Chinese man injured in smuggling attempt

[Hamartia Antidote]

https://www.latimes.com/local/lanow/la-me-ln-border-patrol-arrest-smuggling-20190327-story.html

Mar 27, 2019
A Customs and Border Protection officer was recovering from his injuries after being thrown from a van being used in an attempt to smuggle a Chinese man through the Otay Mesa Port of Entry over the weekend.

Two people have been charged with human smuggling in the incident: driver Betty Mae Taulbee and passenger Markquiste Nathaniel Morgan, according to a criminal complaint filed in federal court in San Diego.

The duo pulled up to the port of entry about 5:10 p.m. Saturday, presenting IDs from Arizona and California, according to the complaint. Taulbee told the officer at the primary inspection booth they were headed to Chula Vista.

When the officer opened the sliding passenger side door for a cursory inspection, he saw a person hidden in a large blue bin behind the driver’s seat, the complaint states.

The officer radioed for assistance and asked Taulbee to turn off the engine. Instead, Taulbee accelerated forward and made a hard left turn.

The officer was thrown from the van, and the person and bin also slid out onto the ground.

The van continued, making a right turn for the west exit but was stopped by traffic and a system of flashing lights and sirens alerting officials to a port runner.

The officer was admitted to a hospital. The Chinese man was treated at an emergency room and discharged.

The man told authorities that he was going to pay $2,000 to be smuggled into the U.S. and intended to find work in New York.

Taulbee told authorities that she took the smuggling job for $1,000 and that she was supposed to take the man to Plaza Bonita mall, the complaint states.

Ah yes the Chinese economic miracle strikes again

 

[Feng Leng]

Even during the greatest of economic miracles, some people borrow money from loan sharks and can't pay it back.

 

[nahtanbob]

Even during the greatest of economic miracles, some people borrow money from loan sharks and can't pay it back.

i get the feeling even with economic opportunities the competition is intense in china
@Feng Leng

 

[Feng Leng]

i get the feeling even with economic opportunities the competition is intense in china
@Feng Leng

The age of picking low hanging fruits is over -- let's just put it that way.

 

[Hamartia Antidote]

Even during the greatest of economic miracles, some people borrow money from loan sharks and can't pay it back.

https://www.scmp.com/news/china/soc...-wanted-iphone-racks-loan-shark-debts-us34000

Chinese student who wanted an iPhone racks up loan shark debts of US$34,000

A university student in northwestern China ran up debts of more than 230,000 yuan (US$33,800) after turning to loan sharks to help pay for a smartphone, local media reported.

The 19-year-old, who is studying in Xian, capital of Shannxi province, said she borrowed 12,000 yuan late last year to buy an iPhone 6S Plus, Shaanxi Television reported on Saturday.

Though she received only 8,000 yuan – 4,000 yuan was immediately deducted as a “service fee” – the sharks told her she still owed them 12,000 yuan. When they came looking for their money, the woman soon realised she couldn’t make the repayments. In desperation, she turned to a second lender, then a third, and very quickly her debt spiralled out of control.

“I really wanted to buy a mobile phone,” she was quoted as saying. “I was influenced by the other students around me. They all had [phones], so I bought an iPhone.”

She said the loan sharks would call her several times a day demanding their money. They even sent images of the young woman – manipulated to make them look like nudes – to her parents.

This was distressing for the family as the woman was her parents’ pride and joy after passing the national college entrance exam and winning a place at university last year.

Seeing little hope of a solution she even considered committing suicide, the report said.

Her father, a farmer from Xianyang in Shannxi, was quoted as saying that he found his daughter with a bottle of sleeping pills in her hands. She reportedly told him that if she was dead the debt would be gone.

Despite earning only 20,000 yuan a year, the family was able to pay off 170,000 yuan of the debt using every last penny of their savings. They still owe more than 60,000, but after contacting the local media, are working with a lawyer to help resolve the situation

Under Chinese law, loans that carry an annual interest rate of more than 24 per cent are illegal. The family might, therefore, be able to take the loan sharks to court and retrieve some of their life savings, the report said.

The story of students falling prey to ruthless loan sharks is not a new one. Just last year, a student in Henan province jumped to his death from a building after getting himself into huge financial difficulties, while a woman in Fujian committed suicide by charcoal-burning in a hotel room.

 

[nahtanbob]

https://www.scmp.com/news/china/soc...-wanted-iphone-racks-loan-shark-debts-us34000

Chinese student who wanted an iPhone racks up loan shark debts of US$34,000

A university student in northwestern China ran up debts of more than 230,000 yuan (US$33,800) after turning to loan sharks to help pay for a smartphone, local media reported.

The 19-year-old, who is studying in Xian, capital of Shannxi province, said she borrowed 12,000 yuan late last year to buy an iPhone 6S Plus, Shaanxi Television reported on Saturday.

Though she received only 8,000 yuan – 4,000 yuan was immediately deducted as a “service fee” – the sharks told her she still owed them 12,000 yuan. When they came looking for their money, the woman soon realised she couldn’t make the repayments. In desperation, she turned to a second lender, then a third, and very quickly her debt spiralled out of control.

“I really wanted to buy a mobile phone,” she was quoted as saying. “I was influenced by the other students around me. They all had [phones], so I bought an iPhone.”

She said the loan sharks would call her several times a day demanding their money. They even sent images of the young woman – manipulated to make them look like nudes – to her parents.

This was distressing for the family as the woman was her parents’ pride and joy after passing the national college entrance exam and winning a place at university last year.

Seeing little hope of a solution she even considered committing suicide, the report said.

Her father, a farmer from Xianyang in Shannxi, was quoted as saying that he found his daughter with a bottle of sleeping pills in her hands. She reportedly told him that if she was dead the debt would be gone.

Despite earning only 20,000 yuan a year, the family was able to pay off 170,000 yuan of the debt using every last penny of their savings. They still owe more than 60,000, but after contacting the local media, are working with a lawyer to help resolve the situation

Under Chinese law, loans that carry an annual interest rate of more than 24 per cent are illegal. The family might, therefore, be able to take the loan sharks to court and retrieve some of their life savings, the report said.

The story of students falling prey to ruthless loan sharks is not a new one. Just last year, a student in Henan province jumped to his death from a building after getting himself into huge financial difficulties, while a woman in Fujian committed suicide by charcoal-burning in a hotel room.

couldn't she file a complaint with the cops ?

 

[Feng Leng]

couldn't she file a complaint with the cops ?

She has poor judgment so she went to underground loan sharks for money to pay off the legal but high interest money lenders. The loan sharks found a way to operate their business that doesn't direct involve violence so the police can't do much. She can sue for usury, which is mentioned in the news article.

 

[nahtanbob]

She has poor judgment so she went to underground loan sharks for money to pay off the legal but high interest money lenders. The loan sharks found a way to operate their business that doesn't direct involve violence so the police can't do much. She can sue for usury, which is mentioned in the news article.

I assume Chinese cops are not corrupt. Why the reluctance ??

 

[Feng Leng]

I assume Chinese cops are not corrupt. Why the reluctance ??

If the loan sharks are just harassing her but not taking violent action, the police would rather not intervene. Most police officers are not outright corrupt but bureaucratic inertia is fairly common.

 

[nahtanbob]

If the loan sharks are just harassing her but not taking violent action, the police would rather not intervene. Most police officers are not outright corrupt but bureaucratic inertia is fairly common.

i can see the bureaucratic inertia and cultural indifference