A Chinese man was sentenced to federal prison for attempting to illegally smuggle people from his home country to the U.S. territory of Guam in the Western Pacific Ocean, officials said on Tuesday.
Zhongli Pang, 36, attempted to smuggle Chinese visitors to the Northern Mariana Islands—U.S. territory that does not require a visa from Chinese nationals—into Guam, which does require a visa.
In June 2024, Pang and his accomplices bought a boat for $33,000, the U.S. Attorney’s Office of the Districts of Guam and the Northern Mariana Islands said in a statement.
Having no experience operating a boat—except for two short excursions—Pang agreed to transport a group of 12 Chinese nationals without lawful status, from Saipan, the capital and largest island of the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands (CNMI), to Guam.
During the 100-mile trip, Pang’s overloaded boat ran out of fuel short off the coast of Guam. The U.S. Coast Guard had to rescue Pang and his passengers.
Pang pleaded guilty to conspiracy to transport illegal aliens and conspiracy to defraud the United States. During his sentencing hearing, he acknowledged that his actions put many lives at risk. He was given a 3-month prison sentence.
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The passengers also face imprisonment and immigration penalties, U.S. Attorney Shawn Anderson said.
“We urge PRC nationals to fully comply with the CNMI’s parole program and return to China as agreed upon entry to Saipan. Enhanced enforcement efforts by DHS will result in the apprehension of those attempting to evade detection,” Anderson said.
The trip from Saipan to Guam is a well-known route among human traffickers from China, with them charging people up to $5,000 each to make the trip.
“We will continue to target illegal aliens unlawfully traveling between the CNMI and Guam,” Anderson said. “The risk to personal safety is substantial.”
In July last year, a near identical scenario occurred when two Chinese nationals also ran out of fuel while attempting to bring 12 people into Guam. They drifted for more than 14 hours before the crew radioed a distress call, and the U.S. Coast Guard came to save them.
In February, a 22-year-old Chinese national was sentenced to 30 days after paying a man in Saipan to transport himself and seven others to Guam. When the boat approached the shore, the smugglers attempted to force the passengers into the water, even though some of them could not swim.
Last month, another Chinese human trafficker and nine accomplices were sentenced after their boat, too, ran out of gas and started drifting at sea. The chief trafficker was given 30 days in prison.