Mounties rescue six Korean women from U.S. sex trade

by Robert Koehler on June 20, 2006

From the Ceeb:

The RCMP say they’ve stopped a group of 10 Koreans who were being smuggled into the U.S. near Osoyoos last week — including six women who police believe were victims of human trafficking.

The Koreans had paid between $3,000 and $5,000 each to be smuggled across the border from the Okanagan community.

Yeah, but was that in U.S. or Canadian?

Anyway, as we’ve seen before, the Canada-U.S. border is a favored entry point for smuggling women into the United States. Not only does Canada not require Koreans to obtain a visitor’s visa, but the Washington-B.C. border is much like the Afghan-Pakistani frontier in that it’s long, mountainous, hard to defend and plagued by virulent anti-Americanism on both sides*.

(Via Yonhap, of course!)

* Canadians/Washingtonians needn’t bother bitching me out in the comments. It was a joke.

{ 13 comments… read them below or add one }

1 Iceberg June 20, 2006 at 10:04 pm: As one who came from Seattle, I take offense to your joke.

Of course, you can make up for it with another naked girl post.
2 gbnhj June 20, 2006 at 10:15 pm: Well, here’s another Seattlite weighing in: I’ll take Washington-B.C. over Washington D.C. anytime.
3 slim June 20, 2006 at 11:15 pm: The comparison was with the Paki-Afghan frontier, mate. Ease up on the BC bud.
4 Andy Jackson June 21, 2006 at 12:32 am: You gotta love the New Speak in that piece. If those girls had forked over $4,000 to get the chance to work in a factory, they would have been simple illegal aliens. But, since they paid for the opportunity to work on their backs, they are victems.
5 aurelius June 21, 2006 at 1:34 am: Having lived in the Seattle area for over 10 years, and traveling broadly around the US, I can’t think of anywhere on the west coast that is more anti-american than Seattle, after San Francisco…

C’mon, they even have a statue of Lenin in the Fremont neighborhood!
6 Zonath June 21, 2006 at 2:24 am: Yes, yes… I’m sure that everyone in Seattle is greatly offended by the implication that they live on the American side of the border.
7 Gillian June 21, 2006 at 6:43 am: LOL, well I am not from Seattle, but I am from Bellingham, which is a spit from the BC border! I love Canada! They do have a habit of trafficing their illegal stuff through my home town, though…. I expecially liked it a few years back when they sent down some incredibly pure shit and a dozen of the locals died with the needles still hanging from their arms…. Hum.

And the border is truly an unprotected area. I am surprised no one has noticed that before….
8 gbnhj June 21, 2006 at 7:31 am: Okay, how about this one: One difference would be that border guards in Washington State are actually able to stop bomb-toting terrorists from crossing the border.
9 michael June 21, 2006 at 11:41 am: Mr. Jackson, I think the women can be considered “victims” because they forked out thousands of bucks to ply their trade in the land of opportunity and won’t get a refund. That must surely suck, or not, as the case may be.
10 Sonagi June 21, 2006 at 11:49 am: “And the border is truly an unprotected area. I am surprised no one has noticed that before”

US Border Patrol has taken notice:

http://www.csmonitor.com/2006/0607/p01s01-woam.htm
11 Maekchu June 21, 2006 at 1:44 pm: Typical media spin….these women PAID 5K to be smuggled into the U.S. yet the article says they are victims that had to be rescued.
12 Remort June 23, 2006 at 12:13 am: Smuggled?? Just walk across, or rent a car or snowmobile. Try the Moosehead beer and Canadian weed while you’re there.

–Remort
13 railwaycharm June 29, 2006 at 4:02 pm: I’m from Seattle, it is very commi pinko. A$$holes still can fix over-crowded highways.