Alleged Illegals' Awful Voyage

Eighteen suspected illegal immigrants were detained after being found inside a cargo container aboard a ship that reportedly departed Hong Kong nearly three weeks ago.

Twelve others were detained in Seattle after being found inside a filthy container aboard another ship that came from Hong Kong, reports Stacy Sakamoto of CBS Radio affiliate KIRO in Seattle.

In the California case, the Chinese immigrants, who were not injured, were found Sunday by crew members.

The group's trip began in Hong Kong and included a stopover in British Columbia. It's not clear how long they had been confined in the containers, but the people were on the ship for 20 days.

In Seattle, the 12 men were being detained at an Immigration and Naturalization Service center after being found Sunday aboard the container ship Faith, owned by the Orient Overseas Container Line of Hong Kong.

I.N.S. spokesman Irene Mortensen said they were found inside a dirty container, where they had been since Dec. 18. The I.N.S. agents had a tip that aliens were being smuggled into the Harbor Island port.

Longshoreman Bill Sample watched the drama unfold.

"I was standing up on the ship looking down," Sample told CBS affiliate KIRO-TV. "You could tell that was just nasty in there. There are some desperate people, that's for sure. Felt sorry for them."

The container was 40 feet long.

Agents also moved in on a blue van parked nearby, and detained three men. Authorities say they are "persons of interest" in the case.

Mortensen says the I.N.S. is seeing more and more alien smuggling cases like this.

"Alien smuggling is clearly a for-profit venture. People pay anywhere from $30,000 to $50,000 each," said Mortensen.

She says anyone involved will be prosecuted.

In other cases, 21 people were detained at the Port of Long Beach and nine others at neighboring Los Angeles Harbor on Dec. 29. In both those cases, the immigrants emerged from their hiding places when cargo containers were unloaded from ships.