Of course, he said, smuggling rings are skilled in their trade. "They operate in groups and rely on teamwork. In many cases, they outnumber and outgun us. Smuggling rings now boast sophisticated division of labor systems and operate like multinational businesses," he said.
Using the human smuggling trade as an example, the official described how criminal rings first survey market demand and inform China's "snakeheads" -- the human smuggling ringleaders -- what kind of prostitutes are needed. The snakeheads then commission their cohorts to trick or abduct young Chinese women into working as bar girls or prostitutes in Taiwan. Lately, blue-eyed blondes from Russia have also joined the stowaway ranks because of market demand and dreams of making money.
The women are put up in hotels in Pingtan, Fujian Province, just opposite Taiwan. Once their number reaches a certain point, they are ferried aboard sampans to waters some 18.5km off the China's coast, where they are transferred to fishing boats owned by Taiwanese.
The boats sail east to the open sea off Pengjia Islet to avoid coast guard inspections. If the weather permits, high-speed sampans from Taiwan will rush to meet the larger boats and take the women ashore. Smuggling sampans usually sail in groups of four or five and land on the northeastern coast. If the weather is bad, the sailors also know how to make landings at safer points.
The landing operations are conducted with assistance from "road sweepers" both on sea and on shore. According to the official, human-smuggling rings tend to send about three fishing boats to serve as maritime sweepers to track activities of coast guard patrol ships. Each boat is responsible for monitoring an area within a 16km radius.
They maintain close contact with their ring's "command center" on shore and search for traces of customs cutters or coast guard patrol ships.
Once they spot a patrol ship, they use their radar to lock onto the patrol ship and immediately alert their command center, which then takes over the mission of tracking the patrol ship until it leaves their operating area.
Meanwhile, cars and motorcycles do the same monitoring work on shore to make sure the landing area is free of law enforcement forces, and taxis are used to transport the illegal Chinese immigrants to temporary safe houses.
One coast-guard squadron leader who has led his team on several successful intercepts said that although they are aware of the shipping routes used by the smugglers, their equipment often prevents them from catching the smaller, shallow-drafted sampans that can operate in shallower water than the coast guard vessels.
"All local fishermen understand undersea shoals and set nets are our ships' Achilles heel. So long as they flee to shallow areas with many nets, we are forced to stop the chase," he said.
As a matter of fact, both smuggling and anti-smuggling operations are almost equally risky, he said. The difference is that the smugglers can make big bucks, so they are often prepared to take dangerous risks, which makes life even more difficult for the coast guard officers.
It is very dangerous boarding suspicious ships in rough weather for inspections. "It's often a life-or-death moment, where a single slip can cost your life," the squadron leader said.
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