Arrest made in Korean smuggling case

A man who allegedly rented the SUV that picked up a dozen Korean nationals smuggled across Washington state’s international border has been arrested and will be returned here to face federal charges, prosecutors said Friday.

Jeong Ho Kim, 38, is named in a 13-count indictment handed up Feb. 7 by a federal grand jury, charging him with conspiracy to transport illegal aliens and 12 counts of aiding and abetting the transportation of illegal aliens.

Twelve Korean nationals were apprehended in a rented Chevrolet Tahoe by U.S. Border Patrol agents near the U.S.-Canadian border in Oroville on Nov. 28. The seven women and five men were destined for the Los Angeles area, First Assistant U.S. Attorney Tom Rice said.

Kim was arrested Thursday by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents in Los Angeles. He made an initial appearance in federal court Thursday in Los Angeles, where a magistrate judge ordered him held without bond. Kim agreed to be returned to Spokane to face the charges, Rice said.

The indictment alleges Kim was not in the Tahoe, but rented the vehicle at Seattle-Tacoma International Airport and instructed a driver where to pick up the Koreans near the border.

A conspiracy conviction carries a maximum penalty of 10 years imprisonment and a fine up to $250,000.

The 12 Korean nationals in the van Kim allegedly rented were handed over to ICE, which began an administrative process to return them to Korea, Rice said.