France smashes Chinese smuggling ring

PARIS: French authorities have dismantled a ring of Chinese smugglers who brought compatriots in on tourist visas only to have them work for a pittance in Parisian restaurants, a police official said on Friday.

The network worked with a travel agency in China for the issuing of tourist visas, said Xavier Delrieu, who heads the police division that targets illegal workers. The victims "were then picked up by the network, which housed them and made them work for a pitiful salary, mainly in Chinese restaurants around the Paris region," he said.