Law enforcement agents in American Samoa have raided the US territory’s Office of Immigration seeking evidence of human trafficking in a case that could involve victims from China, the Philippines and South Korea, authorities said.
The agency is suspected of helping to illegally bring Asians into the South Pacific territory through neighboring Samoa, Lieutenant John Cendrowski of the Office of Territorial and International Criminal Intelligence and Drug Enforcement said in a search warrant that was executed on Thursday.
It was possible that hundreds of victims were brought to American Samoa between May and Dec. 15, Cendrowski said. Many were women apparently being used by a prostitution ring, while the men found work in warehouses, restaurants and stores, he said.
About 20 law enforcement officers, including one FBI agent, were involved in raids at the main immigration office in Utulei village and a smaller office at Pago Pago International Airport. They seized plastic bins and immigration documents.
No charges have been filed in the case, but any defendant could be prosecuted in territorial court.
The case could also go before federal court in Hawaii or Washington if any defendant is alleged to have violated federal law.
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