Eight people have been arrested for allegedly helping a Chinese immigrant in a silicone mask board an Air Canada flight to Vancouver last year, in a case that made international headlines and raised concerns about airport security.
The Standard, an English language newspaper and website in Hong Kong, has reported one current and two former staff members at Hong Kong International Airport are among those in police custody.
Immigration officials told the paper that the syndicate has helped 10 people cross borders illegally, including a young refugee-seeker who successfully flew to Canada wearing an elaborate mask of an elderly Caucasian man.
The man, whose identity is subject to a publication ban, requested asylum after landing in British Columbia. He remains in custody after the Immigration and Refugee Board ruled he was a flight risk last month.
The Standard says the syndicate charged each client roughly $300,000 Chinese yuan, or $45,000 Canadian dollars, to bypass security.
A government spokesman told the paper the suspects ranged in age from 26 to 62, and all are Hong Kong citizens. The arrests followed a two-month-long investigation and raids at 10 separate locations.
