Inside the Dragon's Den

In early 2000, the U.S. Justice Department and the Immigration and Naturalization Service executed a successful undercover operation. "Squeeze Play" was designed to break up an Asian people-smuggling ring. The INS operation also uncovered the fact that the Chinese government was directly involved.

In the end, six individuals, including a Chinese general, were indicted by a U.S. grand jury formed in Detroit. The indictment of Chinese Gen. Fhang Wei included videotaped evidence taken by a Canadian undercover operative who managed to penetrate the smuggling ring.

For the first time in the U.S., James Leigh, a Canadian currently living abroad at an undisclosed location, today relayed his story of danger inside the dragon's den.

The success of Operation Squeeze Play was due largely to Leigh's courage and cunning in his penetration of the Chinese smuggling ring. In 2000, Leigh posed as an associate of a Canadian criminal gang with well-placed connections, offering access to stolen U.S. passports and visas.

Leigh also offered access to corrupt INS officials who would allow quick and easy entry into America.

Leigh traveled twice to China, stopping in both Beijing and Fujian Province to meet with the high-ranking communist Chinese officials who ran the illegal smuggling operation. The final stop was in Fuzhou, where Leigh met with a Chinese general charged with running the smuggling ring.

"All of the smuggling operations went through General Fhang's offices at the Public Security Bureau. Fhang's men collected the money, some of which is later turned over to the Chinese communist government," noted Leigh.

"When I arrived in Fujian, I was escorted by uniformed officers of the PSB [Public Security Bureau]. They drove me with a police escort right through downtown Fuzhou, complete with lights and sirens, directly to General Fhang's office," stated Leigh.

Once inside, Leigh was able to convince his Chinese host to allow him to videotape the meeting as an effort to convince his co-conspirators in Canada and the U.S. that the smuggling operation was efficient and able to support them.

Leigh's incredible videotaped record, later turned over to the INS for the successful indictments, included long conversations with a fully uniformed Gen. Fhang.

"General Fhang told me that he not only controlled the people-smuggling operation out of Fujian but that he controlled everything including prostitution. Fhang even confided in me that he controlled Hong Kong's airport," noted Leigh.

For the remainder of the trip Leigh was able to conceal his videotape recorder and, at great personal risk, managed to capture the entire smuggling operation in action. The illegal immigrants arrived at Fhang's headquarters, where communist officials on the entry operation briefed them. In fact, Fhang greeted each new prospect.

In Hong Kong one of the immigrants aroused the suspicion of an unsuspecting Hong Kong Police officer. However, one of Fhang's officials quickly convinced the officer that all was in order and the illegal immigrant was allowed to pass. Finally, the group arrived in Detroit, where a supposedly corrupt INS official approved their entry into the U.S.

In the end, the INS was able to successfully prosecute two Korean criminals involved in the operation, Hyo Young Park and Tong Choe. Gen. Fhang remains in China and is still under U.S. indictment. Despite his legal problems, Fhang remains in control of the Fujian Public Security Bureau.

The Chinese government has not responded to the U.S. indictment of one of its top generals. Instead, Fhang's boss in Fujian, Gen. Zuang Rushun, deputy director of the PSB, was arrested and executed following a quick trial on corruption charges.

Ironically, after being indicted in the United States, Chinese Gen. Fhang met with Canadian officials, including Immigration Minister Elanor Kaplan, during a briefing in Fujian on how to combat illegal people-smuggling. The briefing included plans for Canadian security and law enforcement operations to combat smuggling.

Despite the apparent lack of coordination between the U.S. and Canada, Leigh's undercover work for the U.S. government did not end with Operation Squeeze Play. For the first time, Leigh revealed that he also helped the U.S. track North Korean operatives working within Canada and in Asia.

"The North Koreans provide a lot of muscle for the Chinese army operations," stated Leigh. "North Koreans, masking themselves as South Koreans, frequently enter Canada and America. North Koreans do most of the footwork as a paid franchise for the Chinese army.

"I have videotaped North Korean agents working in Nepal. I followed their operations to Nepal, where I filmed them moving dismantled Scud missiles in crates on the backs of mules across the Himalaya mountains. The Scud missiles are moved through China by truck to the Nepal border, where they are then dismantled and packed into yak and mule trains to cross the mountains. I was told that the missiles were destined for customers in Iran and Afghanistan."

Leigh's allegations that China and North Korea are moving large ballistic missiles over the tough mountain roads is backed by U.S. satellite photographs of Chinese M-11 missile parts being trucked to Pakistan over the same route in 2001.

The satellite evidence led the Bush administration to impose sanctions against China for the transfer of missile parts to Pakistan. In addition, U.S. intelligence sources confirmed that the Taliban acquired operational Scud missiles from an unknown source.

U.S. 'at War' With China

"The Chinese government has been and still is sanctioning smuggling into the United States and Canada," stated Leigh flatly in an exclusive interview.

"There is an unholy trinity between the Triad gangs, certain very rich businessmen and the People's Liberation Army. The U.S. should consider itself at war with China," said Leigh.

Leigh's videotapes have been turned over to the Department of Justice and have been used in court to successfully convict. Today, Leigh remains in hiding and on his own, despite repeated promises from the Reno-run Department of Justice that he would be provided U.S. assistance.

"The Clinton administration shut down Operation Squeeze Play and refused to pursue the evidence that pointed directly at Beijing. Interestingly, they did this right before the vote in Congress on China's most-favored [MFN] trading status," asserted Leigh.

"After the indictments, the Department of Justice simply dumped me," he concluded.